Persona 3: Soulbond
by nagatoyuki36
Summary: 10 years after the "incident", the Arisato twins return to Iwatodai, tasked to uncover the city's secrets. A certain person, on the other hand, has something else in store for them...
1. Start of a new Journey

_Well, here we go! The start of the improved story, with some slight changes already! Hope you guys will enjoy it just as much as you did the other! The first chapters will be a lot easier to make, since all I need to do is improve the things I already have written. New chapters will take some more time, but I'll do my best to release them as soon as I can, or at least as time lets me. I'm gonna keep Persona 3: Forever Bonds alive for a short while more, and will get rid of it when I catch up. Either way, let's get the show started and hope it lasts longer than the other one! I'll do my best!_

_Just listen to Wild Fang by Janne Da Arc before reading, it really fits the story as a whole. I'm sure you'll all understand what I mean later on. Now then, enough bla bla bla! Read!_

* * *

**- Monday, April 6, 2009 -**

**"Due to a malfunction in the switching system, today's rail schedule has been greatly altered. We apologize to any customers who were in a hurry. We will soon be arriving at Iwatodai Station." **the announcement echoed loudly over the PA system on the train.

Hearing the announcement, a young girl got up excitedly from her seat. She had long auburn hair which was kept in a high ponytail, along with silver barrettes which formed the roman numeral XXII. Her eyes were an unusual crimson red. She was wearing a red scarf, a light orange sweater, a red checker skirt, black leggings, and orange boots. She also had an MP3 player hung around her neck. As she turned down the volume, she looked at the boy who was peacefully sleeping next to her.

He had dark blue hair with long bangs, which completely covered his right eye. His visible eye was of a greyish-blue color, with the pupil hardly visible. He was wearing a light grey double-breasted jacket, dark pants, a khaki turtleneck sweater and blue boots. Just like the girl, he had an MP3 player hung around his neck.

As the train slowly approached the station, the girl started shaking the boy, trying to wake him up.

"Onii-chan! Onii-chan! C'mon, wake up, Minato Onii-chan!"

"Mmm? Wha? Ugh." the boy, now identified as Minato, groaned as he opened his eyes to find himself face to face with the smiling girl.

"Good morning!" the girl cheerfully greeted the now half-awake Minato.

"Good night." he sleepily answered, turning away from the girl.

"Onii-chan, wake up already! We're almost there!" the girl said while shaking him again.

"I need more sleep." Minato responded yawning.

"If you don't get up, I'll tell gramps that you're goofing of again." the girl smiled.

Hearing these words, Minato quickly sat up, a hint of dread in his eyes.

"No! No, don't! I'm up! I'm up, I was always awake!" Minato sighed.

"**Iwatodai. This is the final train bound for Tatsumi Port Island. Please take care to board before our departure.**" the PA system echoed on the train as it screeched to a halt. The doors opened wide, ready to let the only two passengers out.

"Alright." Minato said while yawning again. "Let's go, Hamuko."

"Yeah!" Hamuko happily nodded.

The two of them took their bags and quickly left the train, just before the doors closed.

The moment they stepped ground, silence fell upon the two of them.

"Well... Here we are again." Hamuko smiled sadly. "We're home..."

"Yeah."

"It's been ten years. Why..." she continued. "... did we come back here?" she looked down.

"To grow up." Minato answered coldly. "It's what the old coot wants us to do, we have no say against it. Let's just try to get this over with as quickly as possible, so we can go back to the mansion."

"Yeah, you're right." Hamuko nodded. "Let's do our best!"

After their little chat, they put on their headphones and headed out of the station. Before they could leave, however, the electronics and the lights in the building suddenly cut off and the music from their headphones was silenced. The night sky, as well as the moon, assumed an eerie green color and small puddles of blood appeared all over the place.

"What, it's midnight already? Huh, talk about a bad day. Let's hurry! It was safe at home, but we don't know what may be lurking around here." Minato told Hamuko.

"Right!" Hamuko responded. " Where do we have to go again?"

"Iwatodai Dorm. You know, the Old Dorm."

And with that, the two left the station.

* * *

As expected, the streets were no less creepy. They were literally overflowing with blood, and the sickly green moon illuminated the sky. It was like a scene from a horror movie. The scariest though, were probably the dozens and dozens of black, blood covered coffins that manifested seemingly out of thin air.

" As creepy as ever, I see." Minato remarked.

"You're right. Even after seeing it hundreds of times already, it's still really unnerving. Wonder what it's like inside?" Hamuko asked, poking at one.

"Hey, leave that alone!" Minato scolded her. "You know there are people in there. We can't just go around messing with them. C'mon, we're almost there."

Surely enough, after another five minutes of walking, they finally arrived at their destination.

"So, this is the Old Dorm now?"

"Looks pretty cool!" Hamuko smiled.

"Yeah. But let's hurry. I want to finally get some sleep." Minato started complaining.

"What? You've already slept six hours on the plane and one hour on the train! Don't tell me you're still tired!" Hamuko stated, slightly annoyed.

"I need at least sixteen hours of sleep a day to be active." Minato answered, clearly amused.

The two kept arguing as they entered the dorm. Upon entering, they couldn't help but look around a little. They were surprised to see that the place was just like a hotel's lobby. There was a table, chairs, several comfortable looking couches, and a T.V. There was even a counter, which probably served as the check-in desk. Beyond the lobby was the kitchen area. To the left of the kitchen were the restrooms and the stairs.

" Wow! They really did a good job renovating the place, didn't they?" said Hamuko. "And to think this was considered a danger zone now ten years ago!"

"It was probably a lot of work, but I think it was worth it." Minato answered. " What should we do now? Even if anybody was awake, they probably turned into a Coffin."

"I guess we'll just have to wait here until it's over then." Hamuko sighed.

The two removed their headphones from their ears and were about to explore their surroundings, when a creepy voice called out to them.

"You're late." the voice said. Minato turned around to see that a strange young boy in prison wear-like clothes was at the counter. The boy was really creepy and was giving off a vibe of mystery and dread. "I've been waiting for a long time."

'_Waiting? Is this creepy little boy supposed to be our welcoming committee?_' Minato thought. '_More importantly though, how come he didn't turn into a Coffin?_'

"If you want to proceed..." the boy continued, pointing towards a single piece of paper which suddenly appeared on the counter. "... then please sign there. It's a contract."

"A contract?" Minato asked, slightly unnerved.

"There's no need to be scared. It only binds you to accepting full responsibility for your actions." the boy assured Minato.

'_A contract? A dorm contract maybe?_' Minato asked himself.

"Alright." Minato said, taking the quill pen from the counter in his hand. He quickly signed the name 'Arisato Minato' on the line. "Does my sister have to sign it too, or is my signature enough?"

"Don't worry, yours will suffice." the boy smiled. "At least, for now." With that the boy took the paper from the counter and slowly walked backwards into the shadows. "Time is something no one can escape. It delivers us all to the same end. Wishing won't make it go away." he said, taking one step back at a time. "And so it begins..." the boy uttered, finally fading into the darkness.

_'Okay... creepy.' _Minato thought.

"Onii-chan! Wake up!" his sister yelled while shaking him. "C'mon, snap out of it!"

"What? What's the matter?" Minato asked confused. "Hey, stop shaking me already! I'm awake!"

Hamuko slowly let go of him. "What happened?" she asked, still worrying for her brother. "You suddenly started talking to yourself about contracts and signatures."

'_What? Talking to myself? Does that mean she didn't see or hear the boy? What the hell is going on here?_' Minato worried. "I was...uh...dreaming!" he said laughing. "I...uh...probably fell asleep and started acting all crazy again!"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Hamuko asked skeptically.

"Yeah, of course!" Minato assured her. "You know how I am when sleepwalking! Remember last year when I broke into the neighbor's house and stole all their sweets?"

They both started laughing at this, recalling the hilarious events of that night.

"...Who's there?" a voice suddenly shouted out, startling the siblings. They quickly looked around and sure enough, they found the owner of the voice: a young girl standing near the stairs. She had shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a pink sweater with a red bow, a black skirt and brown loafers. She also wore black knee-highs and had a choker around her neck. On her left arm was a red armband with the initials 'S.E.E.S.' on it. She had a gun holster on her right thigh with a silver gun inside. The girl quickly drew her gun and took aim. Minato instinctively stepped in front of Hamuko, trying to keep her out of harms way.

"Are you one of them?" the girl asked the twins in a scared voice.

Luckily, before she could pull the trigger, yet another voice shouted out:

"Wait!"

_'What's with all the disembodied voices around here?'_

The gun-wielding girl turned around to see another young woman descending the stairs. She had violet eyes and long dark-red hair which partly covered her left eye. She was wearing a white blouse with a red ribbon, a long black skirt and black knee-high heeled boots. Just like the other girl, she had a 'S.E.E.S.' armband on her left arm. As soon as she arrived at the bottom of the stairs, the eerie green light slowly faded away and the power cut back on. The siblings turned off their MP3 players which were working again. The brunette smiled in relief and put her gun away while the other girl approached them.

"I didn't think you two would arrive so late. My name is Kirijo Mitsuru. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm." she introduced herself.

"...Who're they?" the brunette asked Mitsuru.

"They're transfer students and fraternal twins. It was a last minute decision to assign them here. They'll eventually be moved to the correct dorms." Mitsuru answered.

"...Is it okay for them to be here?" the brunette asked.

"I guess we'll see..." Mitsuru said. "This is Takeba Yukari. She'll be a junior this spring, just like you two."

"Hi, I'm Yukari." the girl shyly introduced herself.

Hamuko quickly looked at her brother, as if asking him how they should react. The older brother just nodded once, before turning back to the two girls.

"I'm Arisato Minato. It's nice to meet you." Minato bowed politely.

"And I'm Arisato Hamuko, but you can just call me Hamuko. It's very nice to meet you two! I hope we can be friends!" Hamuko smiled.

"Um...yeah. It's nice to meet the two of you, too." Yukari said, slightly embarrassed. "Mitsuru-senpai, it's getting late. We should show them to their rooms so they could get some rest."

"You're right, Takeba. All right! Arisato's room is on the second floor and Hamuko-san's room is on the third floor. Your things should already be there." Mitsuru explained.

"Oh... I'll show Minato-san the way." Yukari said.

"Okay, then I'll take Hamuko-san to her room." Mitsuru replied. "Good night, Arisato and Takeba."

"Well then, I'll see you tomorrow! Good night, Yukari! Good night, Onii-chan!" Hamuko waved as the two girls went upstairs.

"Yeah. Night." Minato waved back.

"C'mon, let's go." Yukari said to Minato. She took him up to the second floor and then led him to the end of the hallway.

"This is it..." Yukari announced. "Pretty easy to remember, since it's at the end of the hall. Oh, and here's your key. Make sure you don't lose it, or you'll never hear the end of it." she warned Minato while giving him the key. "So, any questions?"

'_Hmm... Time to gather some info._' Minato thought to himself. '_There are a couple of things I still don't get. Like that boy and that contract._'

"Yeah, two." Minato answered. "First of all, I'd like to know if I'll have to sign a dorm contract or something like that?

"A contract? No, I don't think so. At least, I didn't need to sign anything." Yukari said.

"I see. My other question: How many students are staying at the dorm right now?" Minato asked.

"Hmm? Well, let's see. There's you and your sister, me, Mitsuru-senpai and then there's one more senior. That would make five of us." she answered.

'_So, according to Yukari, there are no prison escapee children staying at the dorm who make people sign weird contracts. But then who, or what, was that kid?_' Minato pondered.

"Okay. Thanks." said Minato.

"Sure, no problem." Yukari smiled. "Um... Can I ask you something? On your way here from the station, was everything okay? Did anything weird happen?"

"That depends. What do you mean by weird? "

"You know what I..." Yukari started but quickly caught herself. "Never mind. It seems like you're alright. Well, I'd better get going. Good night. Oh, and I'm sure you have some more questions, but let's leave them for some other time, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks. See you tomorrow."

* * *

After Yukari left, Minato finally went inside his new room. It was nice and fairly simple. It had a small closet, some bookshelves, a table with a chair, a sink and a mirror, a mini refrigerator, a stand with a T.V., and, of course, Minato's favorite type of furniture: a large and comfortable bed. He quickly threw himself on it, not even paying attention to the many boxes waiting to be unpacked.

"Ah, yes! Bed!" Minato exclaimed. "I'm going to sleep really well tonight! After all that craziness, I'm really tired!" He happily rolled all over his bed, then looked around his new room. "So, this is my new home, huh? It's really nice." he remarked. "I wonder how much the city has changed since we were last here? It's been ten years already since 'that' day." his expression darkened. "Damn, way to ruin my mood. I almost forgot I need to call the old man."

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Minato got up from bed and answered the door. It was his sister.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah." Minato answered stepping outside and closing the door behind him. They then quietly made their way down the stairs and out of the building. After checking a few times that they were alone, Minato pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number. After a few rings, someone answered.

"It's a little late, don't you think?" a cold voice asked.

" Hey, don't complain, you're the one who wanted us to call. Besides, it's 1 P.M. where you are right now."

"Indeed. So, have you arrived successfully?"

"Yeah, we're here. Got a little late though, so we had to make our way through a few Coffins."

"I see. You're sister didn't end up breaking any of them, did she?"

"I was able to stop her in time. It may have a slight crack on the side though..."

"Make sure you play close attention to everything. That city is full of secrets, some more dark than you can possibly imagine. Did you find any possible leads yet?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Two girls staying at this dorm, they were active even during the Darkfall. No Coffins, no signs of fatigue or anything."

"Hmm, most interesting."

" We're gonna keep an eye on them, I'm sure they have a few secrets. Do you think there are any chances of them being relatives?"

" No, most likely not. But we'll need to do a full background check to make sure. I'm gonna be busy for a while, so I'm giving this job to Naoto for now. Send her the info you got tomorrow."

"Got it. And... well..."

" What is it?"

"...No, it's nothing. We're gonna go now, it's late and we've got school tomorrow."

"Okay. Be careful."

And with that, he hung up.

" As charming as ever, gramps." Minato stated, causing Hamuko to chuckle.

" Aww, c'mon, you know he loves us. He just doesn't know how to show it."

"Must have been the heart of all the parties, that guy."

"So, what are we going to do now?" Hamuko asked curiously.

"There's not much we can do for the time being. Just act normally and observe as much as you can. If you find anything suspicious make sure to tell me. And if you get the chance, snoop around the dorm a little as well. I'm sure it also has a secret or two. But above all, make sure you don't get caught."

"Okay." Hamuko agreed. "Well, then! It's about time we go to bed! We've got school tomorrow."

"Yeah. Let's go. I miss my bed."

* * *

Back in his room, Minato didn't even mind to change his clothes. He turned off the lights and collapsed on his bed, ready to sleep.

'_Heh. Things are going pretty well. At the very least, we've found some leads we can follow._' Minato thought. He then took something out of his pocket and held it up in front of him. It was a ring, with a large crimson red gemstone decorating it. "Above all, make sure that when you go, they never mourn. I guess you both failed that. But don't worry... I'll find out what happened." Saying these final words, Minato fell asleep, looking forward to the next day.

Meanwhile...

* * *

**- Monday, April 6, 2009 -**

**- Iwatodai Maximum Security Prison -**

**-23:55 PM-**

As the moon finally came out from behind the clouds and shined its light through the barred window of a cell, the cell's sole inmate got up from his bed and looked out towards the moon. As time passed and midnight approached, the prisoner couldn't help but smile. Sure enough, the moment the clock hit midnight, the world changed. The moon took on a sickly green color, and blood-like liquid started oozing out of the walls and the floor. After a short time, the captive heard a growling noise coming from behind him, along with the sound of his cell's door opening.

"You're early." the man said in a bone-chilling voice, turning around. "It's been a while since I've last seen you." he continued, now looking at the weird monster that was before him. The creature resembled a black blob with no legs and two long arms, which seemed to end in claws. It had a white mask on its face, with a 0 engraved on its forehead. "Go tell the others I'll be back in a day or two." the man ordered. As the creature quickly left to carry out its assignment, the man took one more look at the moon. A sinister smile spread across his face and his unusual crimson red eyes started glowing, as if from excitement.

"And so it begins..."


	2. Chance Meetings

**- Monday, April ****7****, 2009 -**

After a good night's sleep, Minato got up the following morning earlier than usual. Yawning loudly, he sluggishly got out of bed and headed towards the closet where his new school uniforms should be. Still sleepy, Minato just took a uniform out at random, picked up some toiletries and hurried to the floor's bathroom to try wake himself up and get ready for the day. When he returned to his room, he made sure to take one more look in the mirror.

'_Hmm. Alright, my hair's good_. _This should keep me away from trouble. But still...' _Minato thought, but a knock on the door interrupted him.

"It's Yukari. You awake?"

"Yeah, just a second!" Minato replied while putting his headphones on. He then took out a small bag from one of the many cartboard boxes and answered the door. Outside, he was met by both Yukari and Hamuko.

"Morning, Onii-chan!" Hamuko cheerfully greeted .

"Good morning, Minato-san." said Yukari.

"Morning." Minato greeted back.

"Mitsuru-senpai asked me to escort the two of you to school. It's getting late, so are you ready to go?" Yukari asked.

"Yeah." Minato answered.

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

A short walk later, the three arrived at Iwatodai Station and boarded a train bound for Tatsumi Port Island where their high school was located. After the train made its stop at Port Island Station, the trio walked the rest of the way.

"Well, this is it. Welcome to Gekkoukan High School! You're gonna love it here!" Yukari welcomed them upon arrival.

"Wow, it's amazing!" Hamuko said, her eyes sparkling from excitement.

"It sure is." Minato agreed._ 'So, this is Mom and Dad's old school, huh? I wonder if it'll be as fun as they said?'_

After admiring their new school a little while longer, the three of them entered the building.

"You'll be okay from here, right?" Yukari asked them. "You should go see your homeroom teacher first. The list of classes is on the bulletin board over there." And with that, she quickly left.

"Well, so much for our grand tour." Minato remarked.

"So, what do we do now?" Hamuko asked her brother.

"There are too many students at the bulletin board. Let's just go to the Faculty Office." Minato answered taking off. Trusting her brothers instincts, Hamuko followed. A few steps later though, somebody started shouting at them.

"Hey! Watch out!"

Before Minato could react, somebody ran into him with full force, knocking him off his feet. Even if he's been trained to always be on guard, he didn't expect someone would try to kill him at school. Minato fell to the floor, his head hitting the ground with a loud thud.

"Ow!" Minato exclaimed, holding the back of his head. '_The floor sure is hard.'_ He then looked up, hoping to see the person who ran into him. The culprit was, much to Minatos surprise, a girl. '_Not exactly the wild rampaging beast I was expecting to see.' _

The girl had waist-length unusual grayish-silverish hair and light gray eyes. She was wearing the Gekkoukan high school uniform, complemented with black knee-length stockings and a black hairband on her head. Her uniform on the other hand was missing the red ribbon tie and she had the blazer just draped over her shoulders.

"Damn, that hurt!" the girl muttered.

Minato quickly got up to his feat and, being the gentleman he is, offered the girl his hand.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." the girl replied as Minato helped her up. "Heh, sorry about that. I was in a hurry, so I didn't check where I was running."

"It's okay." Minato replied. "Luckily for me, I'm quite hard-headed."

Much to Minato's surprise, the girl chuckled at his pathetic attempt at a joke.

"Hmm? I don't think I've seen you here before. You a new student?" the girl asked.

"Yeah. Second year transfer student, Arisato Minato." the boy politely introduced himself. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh, a real gentleman. That's a nice change from the usual boneheads around here. I'm also a second year. My name's Mori Ayame."

Suddenly, Minato felt a certain uneasiness. Looking around, he saw that everyone around them were now whispering among themselves or staring at them like something unbelievable happened.

"No way." Minato overheard one of the guys saying. "Who is that guy?"

"Whoever he is, he's dead! She'll kill him for sure!"

"But he's still okay! She's actually friendly with him!"

"Does that mean he's in her gang or something?"

"He must be! I mean, look at his hair!"

"Crap! They're gonna take over the whole school!"

_'Great. First five minutes at school, and I'm already the center of attention. What am I gonna do now?"_ Minato worried. His thoughts were quickly interrupted by an angry Ayame.

"What the hell do you punks think this is, some kind of circus freak show?! Get lost! Scram! Or I'll kill every one of you losers!" she shouted at the crowd.

The students didn't need to be told twice. Panic ensued as everyone ran away from the enraged girl.

"Damn stupid idiots. Why don't they ever leave me alone?" Ayame pondered. "Sorry about that. As you can see, I have a pretty bad reputation around here. I think it'd be better if you don't get involved with me."

Normally, Minato would have agreed and would have avoided her from here on out. Still, he couldn't just say "Okay" and walk away. Plus, Hamuko would give him hell if he did that.

_'I can't believe I'm going to say this. Here goes my worry-free high school life.'_

"Don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure I would have been labeled as a troublemaker anyway, because of my hair. I still don't know anyone from here, so a friend would be nice. What do you say?" Minato asked, extending his hand.

"Y-you sure?" she hesitated, but eventually shook his hand. "Thanks. I'm glad I finally found someone who's at least giving me a chance." she smiled. "Oh, crap! I just remembered, I gotta get the hell outta here! See ya later!"

And with that, the girl ran off. What a weird way to start a day.

* * *

Hamuko approached her brother shortly after the girl left, ready to congratulate him.

"That's my brother for you! Ten minutes in the school and you already have a girl! Great job!" she started clapping.

"It's not like that. I only asked her to be my friend."

"Yeeeeaaah! That's how it always begins." she giggled.

**"Attention please! Second year Mori Ayame is requested to go to the principal's office immediately! ...again."** the announcement echoed loudly over the PA system.

"Huh. No wonder she was in a hurry." Minato remarked.

"She's a real Devil, ain't she?" someone suddenly asked from behind them.

The Arisato twins turned around and found themselves face to face with a male student. His messy hair was as white as snow and his eyes had a crystal blue color. He was smiling happily whilst approaching the two.

"But she's not really a bad girl, you know. Just a little ...temperamental."

"Who are you?" Minato asked.

"I'm Kimura Yuuki, one of Ayame's few friends. It's nice to meet you. And it's very, very nice to meet you." Yuuki said, getting closer to Hamuko.

"It's very nice to meet you too." she smiled at the boy. "I'm Arisato Hamuko, and this is my brother, Minato."

"Hamuko-chan, was it? You're really cute, if you don't mind me saying so. I bet you'll be one of the five most popular girls in school after only the first semester." he complimented her. "Hey, what do you say we go out together once in a while. You probably still don't know the area yet, so it would be a pleasure to show you around." he said, flashing his best smile. "In fact, I know a really nice area around Shirakawa Boulevard that I'm sure you would love."

"Shirokawa Boulevard, huh?" Hamuko smiled in a perverted way. "Sure, sounds like fun! I heard some girls talking about it on the train and they were saying it was great! I don't really know what's there though, but it has to be interesting!" This was a lie. She knew very well what it was famous for, but she just decided to play along. It's a win-win situation either way. Plus, she always wanted to know what a love hotel looked like.

"Huh? Y-you serious?" Yuuki asked, completely shocked. "You...you seriously would be willing to go out with me? W-wait, somethings gotta be wrong here. I've been turned down by every girl I've asked out. Is the Sun finally rising in my dark world? No, no. This is no good. Sorry, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass. I have to go and get my thoughts together. I was right about you, Hamuko-chan. You're a very dangerous girl indeed."

And with that he took off.

"Well, it looks like there are plenty of weirdos around here. At least we won't stand out that much."

* * *

"As you begin the new school year, I'd like each of you to remember the proverb: 'If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well'. When applied to student life, this means..." the principal continued with his boring speech, not acknowledging the fact that no one was paying any attention to him whatsoever.

Minato was silent as usual and calmly listening to the music of his favorite band, whilst Hamuko was busy cheerfully talking with a group of guys who were, most likely, trying to hit on her. Suddenly, a tap on the shoulder caught Minato's attention. Removing his headphones, he looked back at the guy who was trying to talk to him.

"Psst...Hey..." the boy started. "You're the guy who came to school with Yukari and the transfer girl this morning, right? I saw you walking together. Hey, I have a question. Do you know if any of them has a boyfriend?"

"Well, I don't know about Takeba, since I just met her yesterday, but my sister is free." Minato answered, pointing at Hamuko. "Just take a number and wait for your turn. Oh, and good luck."

"I-I see. Thanks." He then leaned towards Hamuko."H-hey there. I-I'm Makoto. W-what's your name?" Oh yeah, a natural charmer all right.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Arisato Hamuko." she smiled.

Before their conversation could begin though, they were interrupted by a large echoing thud, as if a chair would have been slammed to the floor.

"...A-Arisato..." an unknown voice echoed through auditorium. "Impossible...there's no way..."

It was one of the teachers, mumbling to himself in a hypnotic state. It seemed like he was in shock for whatever reason.

"Mr. Ekoda? Is something the matter?"the principle asked.

"...N-no, everything is fine." he answered, pulling up his chair and sitting down, still appearing somewhat stressed. What the hell? Even the teachers are weird.

* * *

**-During the principles speech-**

**-Gekkoukan High School Rooftop-**

"So this is where you were hiding." Ayame commented as she approached Yuuki. "Shouldn't you be in the auditorium, listening to the giant meatball's speech?"

"What about you?"

"C'mon, you know the old man bores me to death. I'm just skipping as usual. I'm a delinquent, so it shouldn't be a surprise. Besides, today I have special permission from him to skip, so I can break your arms for that P.S. note." she smiled. "By the way...thanks."

"Don't mention it. Just leave my arms alone."

"Fine, I'll let you keep them. For today.

"So, what do you think of them?" Yuuki asked.

"They definitely seem like interesting people."

"Well, they are special."

"Do you think they're strong? They look kinda, I dunno, outta there, if you know what I mean."

"Well, I'll guess we'll see soon enough. Sensei's got the things ready, so all we need to do now is wait."

"You shouldn't call him that. The only thing he taught you is how to be a pervert."

"Ha! You shouldn't underestimate the power of Hentai!"

"And you shouldn't underestimate the power of a hundred girls ready to tear you to pieces for peeping."

"Don't remind me. I still haven't recovered completely..."

* * *

**-After School-**

Minato woke up yawning loudly after the teacher left the classroom. Like always, he still displays the incredible ability of being able to sleep anywhere and at anytime.

"Good morning, Onii-chan!" Hamuko cheerfully greeted her still half asleep brother. "So, what're we gonna do today?"

"Go home and sleep. I'm tired."

"Ah, c'mon! That's what you always say! Why don't we go check out some things in town. I'm really interested in how much the place has changed!"

" 'Sup, dude!?" a student wearing a baseball cap interrupted them. "How's it goin'? I'm Iori Junpei, nice to meet ya. I transferred here when I was in 8th grade. I know how tough it is bein' the new kid, so I wanted to say, 'Hey'. See what a nice guy I am!" he praised himself.

"Yeah, you're awesome!" Hamuko happily gave him a thumbs up.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Aristo Minato."

"And I'm Hamuko! His little sister!"

"Little sister, huh? Are you his real sister, or does he just have a little sister fetish?" Junpei jocked around.

Hamuko eyes widened in surprise and then she started smiling again.

"Junpei...I think you and I will get along really well."

* * *

"Hey, it's Yuka-tan!" Junpai noted, as Yukari approached the group. "I didn't think we'd be in the same class again."

"At it again, huh?" she sighed. "I swear, you'd talk to anyone if they'll listen. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?"

"What? But, I was just bein' friendly."

"If you say so. Anyway, looks like we're in the same homeroom.."

"Yeah...must be fate." Hamuko replied.

Fate? Yeah, right." she chuckled. "Still, I'm a little surprised. "

"Um, hello? Are you forgetting that I'm in this class too? By the way, I heard you two came to school together this morning. What's up with that? C'mon, gimme the dirt!"

"W-what are you talking about? First of all, we live in the same dorm. Besides, it wasn't just the two of us, Hamuko was with us too. There's nothing going on, okay? Why are people even talking about it? Now you've got me worried..."

"Even if it were the case, you shouldn't be so shy about it." Hamuko remarked. "I can assure you, Minato-nii-chan is a great catch!"

"Way to make things even worse..." Minato sighed.

"Hey..." Yukari whispered to the twins. "You didn't say anything to anyone about...you know what, did you?"

"Nope." the twins responded.

"Okay, good. Seriously... Don't say anything about last night, alright?"

_'...could this situation get any more awkward?'_

_"_L-last night...? Y-you three...didn't...right...?"

"W-wait a minute! Don't get the wrong idea! I only met them yesterday, and anyway, I wouldn't do anything like that! Seriously!"

"Okay, okay...if you say so."

"I've gotta go. I've got something to take care of for the archery team. But, you better not start any rumors!" she warned Junpei before walking away.

"Ah, who cares. No one takes rumors seriously, anyway. She's so paranoid..."

"I don't know.." Hamuko started blushing a little. "It might be actually interesting. If there are three of us, I mean."

"W-what?!" Junpei cried out in surprise. "A-are you...serious?"

"Trust me..." Minato reassured Junpei. "She is."

In the end, the twins just decided to go home, because they remembered they had an important job to do.

* * *

"Hello? Minato?" a voice asked from the other end of the line.

"Yeah, It's me. Sorry for calling a little late, we've had, uh, things to do."

"In other words, you completely forgot."

"Yeeeah, that too. But we sent you the info, did you get it?"

"Yes, Kirijo Mitsuru and Takeba Yukari, right? I'll see what I can find."

"Okay,thanks a lot, Naoto. Sorry to make you have to do all this. It should be the old man's job."

"He's really busy with a case now, so there's no helping it. Besides, I'm happy to help in any way I can."

"Great. Just make sure you don't overdo it. How's the rest of the family doing?"

"Everything is pretty much the same as before. Don't worry, I'll try to keep everyone in check."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. Sorry I can't give the phone to Hamuko, but she's... doing things."

"I-I see. I... don't really want to know, do I?"

"You don't."

" Well, I guess I'll talk to her next time. I have to go now. I'll call you later."

"Yeah, see ya later."

Minato closed his cellphone and went back to his room, ready to turn in for the night. Tomorrow should be another interesting day.

* * *

**-Unknown Location-**

**-Dark Hour-**

The countless torches that lined the wall were burning violently, as 12 cloaked figures sat around the ridiculously long table. They have been informed not long ago by the creature that their master would soon return and were now anxiously waiting.

"How much longer is this gonna take?! I'm bored outta my skull!" one of them, a male, shouted.

"Wait patiently, moron!" another one scolded. "You've been waiting for ten years already, can't you wait a few more minutes?"

"I don't mind waiting." another cloaked figure said in a lazy voice whilst tinkering with some sort of gadget. It was a COMPstation Portable "There're plenty of things to do around here. Although, I would like to know why we have to wear these cloaks all the time. And seriously, what's up with this place. I mean, c'mon, we've got electricity and central heating in our chambers. Heck, we've even got cable and wireless. So why does this room look like it's from the middle ages?"

"It's for dramatic effect." the cloaked girl next to him responded. "But I agree that these things are quite useless. I can't show off my body like this."

"We've seen it more than enough, Himeros." the former sighed.

"Shut up, Penthus. Unlike a gloomy otaku like you, there are still some hot guys in this world who appreciate the beauty of a girl."

"I can't take it anymore!" the largest one in the group slammed the table with his fists, almost breaking it in two. "Alright, any of you willing to ease my boredom. Come on, just a little sparring match!"

"Calm down, Pallas." the one at the far end of the table said, standing up. As if out of respect, the formerly bickering members were now silently listening to their apparent leader talk. "The Dark Hour is almost over. It seems our master will not be arriving tonight. We shall dismiss for now and meet up again tomorrow. He is sure to come soon, as the moon grows full. We shall wait until then."

The group quickly dispersed, ready to meet the next night, as the Dark Hour came to an end and peace returned...for now...


	3. Master of Strings, God of Death

**- Tuesday, April 8****, 2009 -**

Yesterday was truly a one of a kind day for Minato, as he was somehow able to go to school himself and not have to be carried. Today on the other hand was a normal day...

* * *

Minato groaned sleepily as Hamuko dragged him to school as if he were a garbage bag. It was truly a sight to behold and was sure to help them become famous among the students. Not that they really cared though. Hamuko was just doing it for fun and Minato was still happy in the land of dreams, so they probably still don't know the rumors concerning them.

Finally reaching the classroom, Hamuko neatly placed her brother in his seat and then sought out Junpei so she can have a pleasant conversation.

* * *

Classes were now in session and were as boring as ever. Ms. Toriumi, their homeroom teacher, was angry at Junpei for not paying attention and asked him to tell her...something. There's no way Minato would know, as he was blissfully sleeping all the way at the back of the classroom, safe from the teacher's vision. Luckily for Junpei, Hamuko was there to save the day for him.

Math class was weird, the teacher to be more exact. Ms. Miyahara was short woman with a huge afro and buck teeth. If that wasn't weird enough, she just kept going on and on about the wonders of numbers. Good thing Minato was still sleeping.

Mr. Ekoda was probably the strangest one though. He must have some kind of psychological problem. Maybe delirium. Oh, wait, but that's a neuropsychiatric syndrome. Whatever, that guy still has it. After making half the class fall asleep out of pure boredom, the guy chose Minato to pick on out of all people.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting your nap?" the teacher asked, clearly irritated.

"A little bit." Minato yawned.

"Why you brat! Have you absolutely no respect? I swear, kids these days...!" Ekoda was very furious. "What's your name, you little rascal?"

"Arisato Minato."

Again that reaction. Ekoda dropped the book he was holding and almost fell to the floor himself. His eyes were filled with both unimaginable terror and boundless hatred.

"A-A-Arisato...? No!" he screamed. "No! NO! NOOOO!" he ran away out of fear and made his way to the hallway and then towards the principal's office. What's up his butt? Well, at least he could sleep in peace now. His classmates, although stunned by what happened, didn't seem to mind Ekoda leaving either. Just another normal day in the life of Minato...

* * *

**-Iwatodai Dormitory-**

Finally free from the terrors of school, and luckily not being dragged to the principals office, Minato and Hamuko entered the dorm chatting about what they should do in the following days.

"Oh they're back." Yukari stated to the man who was with her. The two approached the twins, ready for a probably long conversation which they weren't in the mood for.

"So, these are our new guests..." the man stated. He was middle-age gentleman with dark brown eyes, long wavy brown hair, and a goatee. He had on a tan suit underneath a brown turtleneck. He also wore glasses. "Good evening. My name is Ikutsuki Shuji. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school."

"Itsukuki?" Hamuko asked tongue-tied.

"Ikutsuki...Hard to say, isn't it. That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even I get it wrong sometimes." he chuckled. "I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations. However, it may take a while longer before you receive the proper room assignments."

"Don't worry about it. We did come here at a busy time after all."

"Thank you for understanding. So, is there anything you'd like to ask?"

"No, we're good."

"Then, I hope you two have a successful school year. Now, if you'll excuse me..." and with that the chairman headed upstairs. Shortly after, the twins followed, ready for a good night's sleep.

"Hey, Onii-chan?" Hamuko started when they reached the first floor. "Wanna come sleep with me tonight? The room's a little lonely when it's just me."

"W-what are you talking about?" Minato asked, slightly shocked. "Hamuko...you know you shouldn't be joking around about... that."

"Yeah... Sorry. Well, goodnight!"

"'Night."

* * *

**-Unknown Location-**

**-Dark Hour-**

"This is the second day already! When the hell is he going to come?!" the largest cloaked figure, Pallas, angrily shouted.

"Sit down, idiot." the one sitting opposite to him said in a cool voice.

"What was that, Enyo?! Tch!" he sat down, irritated.

Commotion and further arguments unfolded, as chaos spread across the room. It was abruptly put to a stop though, as the leader's words caught everyone's attention.

"Silence! He's here."

Footsteps echoed loudly as the figure approached the room. The impossibly large gate, which was separating the entity from the room swung open as he entered.

"Welcome back...Master Thanatos!" the 12 of them greeted him in unison.

The man standing before them was wearing a cloak similar to the rest of them, although the hood wasn't obscuring his face. Instead, he wore a simple white mask with two large holes which were meant to be the eyes and a large menacing smile, both seemingly carved into the mask.

"Well, well. I'm glad to see the whole group together at last. How long has it been now? 10 years? Well, it doesn't matter, what's important is that we're all here and ready to continue our plans." he said in an unnerving voice. "First of all, let's do a presence check. Momos!"

"I'm here!"

"Phrike!"

"Yeah!"

"Selene!"

"Yes!"

"Helios!"

"Yes!

"Coeus!"

"Yes!"

"Himeros!"

"Here!"

"Pallas!"

"Been here for two days already!"

"Dike!"

"Di-chan is here!"

"Penthus!"

"I'm always here, just playing my games."

"Tyche!"

"Yep!"

"Enyo!"

"Mm."

"Dolos!"

"Yes sir!"

"Perfect. Then, let's start from the beginning. Penthus, did you manage to find all of the Arcanas?"

"Yeah, they're all locked up in Monad. They get a little restless during the full moon, otherwise said right now."

"I see. Well then, let's not make them suffer any longer. We'll release them one by one as the months pass, starting from the very first Arcana."

" Wait, do you mean..."

"Yes. Release Arcana Magician!"

"G-got it."

"Master Thanatos..." Dolos started. " Arcana Magician is the..."

" I understand your concern." Thanatos stopped him. " But don't worry. I'm sure everything will go just as I planned."

* * *

**-Velvet Room-**

**-Unknown Time-**

"Welcome, to the Velvet room."

Minato suddenly woke up from his sleep, only to find himself in a place that defied imagination. The room he found himself in was actually a giant elevator, which seemed to be constantly ascending. The entire place including the carpet, the table and even the chair he was now sitting on had a velvet blue color. Minato was so shocked by these turn of events, that it took him a while to notice there were several other people in the room as well. He also noted that there was a beautiful piano melody playing, which was accompanied by a woman's singing voice. It was so soothing, that it actually helped calm him down.

"My name is Igor. ...I am delighted to make your acquaintance. " the man who sat at the opposite end of the table spoke to him. Minato was taken aback by the old man's appearance. He was a hunched-back bizarre old man with a ridiculously long nose and bulging, bloodshot eyes. He was wearing a black suit with white gloves and was creepily smiling at Minato. "Let me introduce the rest of the residents. This is Elizabeth." he pointed at the young lady standing at his right.

"Pleased to meet you." she politely bowed. The young woman had short white hair and yellow eyes. She wore a blue dress that seemed to resemble a stewardess's outfit decorated with five black-lined circles inside small yellow circles, blue gloves, a blue attendant-like hat, black leggings and blue boots. She was also carrying some kind of giant book.

"The young man to my left is Theodore."

"It's an honor to meet you." he also bowed. He was wearing an outfit similar to the woman, and had the same white hair and yellow eyes. He had on a black-collared and long-sleeved shirt under a blue suit complimented with a blue tie. He also wore black pants with blue lines running through the sides, black shoes, and a hat similar to a flying attendant or bellboy. Just like the lady, he was also carrying a book.

"The young woman behind me is Margaret."

"Hello. I am Margaret." she introduced herself. Like the other's, her eyes were also yellow and her hair white, though it was longer then the other lady's, reaching down to the back of her neck. The dress she wore was the same the other girl was wearing with matching high heel shoes, except she was missing the hat which was replaced with a velvet blue hairband. The book was also present in her hands.

"The man playing the piano over there is Nameless and the woman that is singing is called Belladonna."

Nameless seemed to be a handsome man in his early thirties with blue hair similar to Minato's. He wore a white shirt underneath a blue suit and had a velvet blue blindfold tied around his eyes. This still didn't stop him from playing the tune flawlessly. Belladonna was slightly more peculiar than the rest. Her hair was black with a touch of white on both sides and was combed backwards in the shape of a wave, as if it were defying gravity. She was wearing a blue dress with a white butterfly design on it. Her voice soothed Minato's soul.

"As you can see, we are all denizens here, in this Velvet room. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... It's been years since we've had a guest." Igor waved his hand and the book on the table opened by itself, revealing the document Minato signed at the dorm. "Only those who have signed the Contract can enter this place... Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return...that you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices you make."

"I-I...understand. I will. But...I have a lot of questions."

"That is to be expected. Unfortunately, our time runs scarce. Do not worry, you will receive all the answers you seek in due time. Until then, hold on to this..." he waved his hand again and this time a weird butterfly shaped velvet blue key materialized out of nowhere and flew into Minato's hand. " 'Til we meet again..."

* * *

**- Wednesday, April 9****, 2009 -**

Minato woke up oddly refreshed in the morning. It would have seemed to be a wonderful day, had it not been for the weird dream he had last night. Was it a dream, though? It certainly doesn't seem like it, as he found the weird key in his pocket for whatever reason. Still, there was no time to waste. School was a bitch and telling him to come.

* * *

The twins met up with Junpei on the way to school and, while Minato was still trying to make heads and tails of the dream he had, Hamuko was joking around with her seemingly new best friend. The two of them were the same in many ways. Both of them were loud, they liked to joke around, they didn't really take school too seriously (but then again, neither did Minato) and both of them were quite perverted. Though it was obvious that out of the two, Hamuko was by far the bigger pervert. Minato often wondered who she took after.

* * *

The day luckily passed without any incident, and the Arisato's were happily sleeping in their beds, just like the other residents of the dorm should have been doing. But no, they were actually wide and awake, monitoring the two as they did the last two days.

"How are they?" the chairman asked Yukari and Mitsuru, who were at the controls.

"The same as last night." Mitsuru responded.

"Hmm. Very interesting. Even those who have the potential tend to be unstable at first...memory loss...disorientation... But these subjects are rather unique. They haven't exhibited any of the common symptoms. For the time being, we have to keep an eye on them."

"But...we're treating them like guinea pigs."

"I understand your concern, but it's imperative that we recruit new members. I heard they're your classmates. Wouldn't you be more comfortable, working with someone from the same grade?"

"Yeah, I guess. But still..." Yukari started but was cut off by a beep.

"Command room. Is that you, Akihiko?"

"You're not gonna believe this...! This thing is huge!" a boy said from the other end of the line. "Unfortunately, I don't have time to talk. It's chasing me! I wanted to let you guys know, I'm almost there!"

"Does that mean he's bringing that thing here?!" Yukari shouted.

"Mr. chairman! Let's suspend our observation for now. We'll prepare for battle!"

"...R-right! Be careful!"

* * *

Minato's rest was now being rudely disturbed by shouts and large booms. It's as if someone was shaking the whole building.

"Damn stupid teenagers and their wild parties!" Minato groaned and pulled the covers over his head.

"Wake up!" Yukari's shout, together with her banging on the door, now completely woke Minato up who sluggishly crawled to the door, for whatever reason still in his school uniform. Opening the door, he found himself face to face with both Yukari and his sister.

"I don't have time to explain! We have to get out of here now!"

"G-got it!" Minato answered surprised by the sudden turn of events.

* * *

Yukari led the twins up to the roof, after receiving what appeared to be orders by someone through some sort of communication device. She locked the door behind her, thus blocking off entry.

"Whew...I think we're okay for now." Yukari said relieved.

"W-what's going on, Yukari?" Hamuko asked, still slightly scared by the situation.

Before she could respond, a strong quake shaked the entire building. The group looked on terrified as numerous hands suddenly grabbed the edge of the roof and a giant creature pulled itself up. The monsters body was made up entirely of hands, curled and twisted together. Numerous hands held sharp swords and one of the hands was carrying a large blue mask with the roman numeral I engraved on its forehead.

"W-what...?!" Minato stared at it in shock.

"Those creatures...we call them Shadows!" Yukari explained. "I...I have to fight!" She then pulled out a gun from the holster which was for whatever reason on her right thigh again. Shaking, she put the gun to her head and was trying to pull the trigger, though found herself unable to do so.

Meanwhile, the Shadow was moving its mask left and right, as if trying to get a grasp on its surroundings. Finding it's targets, it quickly made it's way towards them before swinging its swords, making small pillars of blue flames erupt from the ground. One of these erupted dangerously close to Yukari and, though it didn't hit her directly, it knocked her unconscious and sent her gun flying into the puddle of blood in front of Minato.

"Onii-chan..." her sister whimpered.

Minato instinctively picked up the gun and stared at it, replaying the events that happened to him recently. The Velvet Room, Igor's words, Yukari's gun. And the events regarding their parents disappearance. This Shadow...and all the info from the scrolls he read back at the Main House. They must all be connected somehow.

"Go on...Don't be afraid." the voice of the little boy who made him sign the contract echoed in his ears.

Although still unsure, Minato slowly brought the gun to his head. Breathing in deeply, he then smiled and pulled the trigger.

"Per...So...Na..."

Minato's eye glowed a velvet blue color as the sound of shattered glass echoed through the night. Blue glass shards formed and span around him like a vortex, as bluish mist formed behind him. The shards then seemed to be absorbed by the mist and formed into a creature of sorts. It was different from the enemy though. It didn't have that eerie feel to it. Quite the contrary, it's presence was very soothing.

"Thou art I...and I am thou...from the sea of thy soul I cometh...I am Orpheus...Master of Strings!" the creature announced as it emerged from the mist and started screeching. Orpheus resembled a sort of metallic puppet, colored platinum and white. Only its head seemed to be organic, which bared a resemblance to Minato's, even the hairstyle, except it's hair was white. It had speakers built into its chest and torso, mirroring Minato's headphones which he constantly has on his presence. It had a giant lyre on its back, a weapon fitting for the 'Master of Strings'.

"Go Orpheus!" Minato ordered, regaining his composure.

Orpheus flew towards the enemy, lyre in hand, ready to strike down on the Shadow. The monster wasn't lazy though, and blocked the attack with its swords before striking Orpheus's torso. Minato grabbed at his chest in pain, the damage seemingly reflected on his body. Orpheus flew back and then struck its lyre, sending a small fireball towards the Shadow at great speed. The attack was useless though, as it was seemingly absorbed.

"Damn!"

Whilst Orpheus was struggling with the Shadow, Minato headed towards Hamuko, who was just staring dumbfoundedly at the battle. She was in a state of shock, but, then again, who could blame her?

"Hamuko!" Minato cried out to her. "Here, use this!" he threw her the gun.

"W-what?! N-no! I...I can't! I-I'm...scared..." Hamuko started crying.

"Don't worry. Everything'll be okay." Minato smiled reassuringly."Trust me. You can do it."

Hamuko looked at the gun with fear and then slowly lifted it to her head. Believing her brother's words, she closed her eyes, and reluctantly pulled the trigger.

"Persona!" Hamuko shouted as her own creature emerged from the mist.

"Thou art I...and I am thou...from the sea of thy soul I cometh...I am Eurydice...Mistress of Strings!"

Eurydice was very similar to Orpheus, but had some notable differences. Her hair was longer and brown, with a golden-colored torso instead of the platinum one that Orpheus had, and its lyre was heart-shaped.

"Go Eurydice! Help Orpheus!" Hamuko commanded the Persona, which happily obliged. Striking its lyre, a small chunk of ice formed and went flying towards the Shadow, hitting it right on the mask. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the attack was ice type, but the creature collapsed, hopefully because it was weak to it.

"Alright! Good work, Hamuko!"Minato congratulated his sister.

"Yeah! Okay, it's time for an All-Out-Attack!"

"Orpheus!"

"Eurydice!"

"GO!" the two shouted together.

The two Personas closed in on the target from both sides and then began to pound it with their lyres in unison. The Shadow was now taking some serious damage and seemed to be screeching in pain. Enraged, it began flailing its arms and managed to injure them both with its swords. Now furious, the Shadow started its counterattack, greatly injuring both Personas and their respective users. Knocking Orpheus and then Minato away, the Shadow then impaled Eurydice with one of the swords and held it up high, as if it were a trophy. Hamuko collapsed in pain, holding at her stomach. Unfortunately, she was still conscious and looked on in terror as the monster approached her.

"Stop..." Minato, though greatly injured, mustered enough strength and called out to the monster. "No, get away from her...Get away...Orpheus, get up...Please, get up..." Minato was tearing up. "Damn...Damn...I..."

The Shadow was now towering over Hamuko and lifting its swords, ready to end her life.

"I SAID STOP IT!" Minato shouted in pure rage. Suddenly he felt as if his right eye had caught fire and was burning violently. Screaming and falling to his knees, his hands flew to his eye, trying to put out the non-existing flames. Orpheus was also experiencing something, as its body started to crack and arms erupted out of its neck. Ripping the body to pieces and sending the head rolling somewhere, an awful monster emerged from Orpheus. It's head was like that of a dragon's skull and it seemed to be wearing a long black trench coat with white boots and gloves. A large golden belt adorned around his waist held a sheathed sword in place. On it's back it sported a cape made out of incredibly ornate but nonetheless eerie coffins which were chained into his body. The creature let out a loud scream, akin to that of the devil himself, if not more terrifying.

Minato was no longer in pain. On the contrary, he was in ecstasy. He was smiling wickedly at the Shadow, his right eye finally visible for all to see. Unlike his left eye, which still held its grayish-bluish color, his other eye was of a crimson red. Not like that of Hamuko's though. His eye was...evil.

Minato let out a crazy laugh before giving orders to the new creature.

"Go! Kill that bastard!Destroy it! Hahahahaha! Murder that fucking creature as painfully as possible! THANATOS!"

The monster complied and charged at the Shadow without falter. The Shadow tried to counterattack, but it was too slow. It's arms were cut off one by one. In the end, as if wanting to make it more challenging for itself, Thanatos sheathed its sword and started simply tearing it's arms off. The Shadow screeched in pain, but the Persona (?) was showing no mercy. Minato was laughing all the while. When the monster was only just a collection of dismembered arms and a badly cracked mask, Thanatos took said mask and broke it in two, before throwing the pieces into it's mouth and devouring it. As Thanatos swallowed the mask, the remaining arms melted away, thus signifying the creatures destruction. But it wasn't just destruction. It was mass destruction.

Minato kept on laughing as Thanatos roared in victory.

"Yes...destroy...destroy...destroy...DESTROY EVERYTHING!"

Hamuko was cowering in a corner, too afraid to approach her brother. She had never seen him like this before. I mean, he did have some mood eruptions once in a while, but...this was too much.

As Minato was laughing insanely, Thanatos kept on spitting out some kind of energy blasts from its mouth into the sickly green sky, illuminating it with a crimson red light. Then, all of a sudden, they both stopped. Minato's insane smile dropped to a frown and Thanatos let out a mighty roar.

"The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate ..." Minato extended his arms towards the Moon. "Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope. The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed. Beyond the beaten path lies the absolute end. It matters not who you are ... Death awaits you."

And with that, Thanatos, letting out a final roar, faded into the shadows and transformed back into Orpheus.

Exhausted and confused over what just happened, Minato collapsed and lost consciousness. The last thing he heard was his dear sister's pleas for him to get up. Minato closed his eyes, happy that he could give his life to save her. She was safe, and that was all that mattered...

* * *

**-Unknown Location-**

"Master Thanatos. It seems that Arcana Magician has been destroyed."

"Perfect." he smiled. "Just as I planned..."


	4. SEES, Back in Action!

**-Unknown time-**

Minato soul was at peace, as a familiar melody echoed through the halls of his subconscious. Everything around him was calm, and he felt happy. Shadows, Personae, the battle he participated in and that...creature, they were all just forgotten memories now. Wherever he was, it was a magnificent place. He wanted to stay here forever if possible. Hey, maybe that was it. He died, and now he was in Heaven. Although still tired, Minato eagerly opened his eyes and saw...that he was actually in the Velvet Room.

"It's so nice to see you again." the big nosed old man named Igor welcomed him. Not quite the angel Minato was hoping for. "You became unconscious after awakening to your 'power'." Okay, that's good, so he's not dead at least. "...It's nothing to worry about, though. So, just relax. By the way...I see that it was Orpheus that heeded your calling. Very curious indeed, to think that I would have the honor of seeing him again." Igor smiled nostalgically. "That power is called a Persona...It is a manifestation of your psyche."

"A... Persona?" Minato asked.

"It may take some time to fully comprehend. A Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli... You can think of it as a mask that protects you as you brave many hardships. That being said, your power is still weak..."

"Weak? How is it weak?" Minato was slightly offended. Nobody likes to be called weak after all.

"When you use your Persona ability, you must channel your inner strength. The ability evolves as you develop your Social Links - your emotional ties with others. The stronger your Social Links, the more powerful your Persona ability. Please remember that."

_'Well, then he's right, I'm weak. I suck at that stuff."_

"I see. I have one more question. When I fought that monster, what was that...thing that came out of Orpheus?"

" I'm afraid I do not know. You will have to find the answer to that question yourself. But do not worry, you will receive all answers you seek throughout your journey. Now then... Time marches on in your world. I shouldn't keep you here any longer. Next time we meet, you will come here of your own accord. Until then... Farewell."

* * *

**- Tatsumi Memorial Hospital -**

**- Friday, April 17****, 2009 -**

Minato groaned as he regained his senses. It was a lot more comfortable in the Velvet Room, that's for sure. He was feeling like crap, as if he had just waken up from a week of sleep. Plus, it felt like someone was trying to squeeze the life out of his arm. And he was thirsty. And hungry. And he had a headache. And he felt as if he were watched by someone. Which was the case. He opened his eyes and looked to the right. No one. He then looked to the left. Panties. Pink. Cute. Blush, look away and pretend your still unconscious, Minato! Good boy!

"Uh..." Minato sat up, startling the girl next to her. Okay, he wasn't caught.

"You're awake...!" It was Yukari. Figures. She would be the only girl in the dorm to wear pink panties. "Um, how do you feel?"

"W-where am I...?" Minato found it a little hard to speak.

"Thank goodness. You finally came too. Geez, how much sleep do you need? It's been a whole week!"

_'Well, a couple more days would be great.'_

"...I was so worried about you...Oh yeah. This is Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. It's just a short walk from the station." Yukari explained. "The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with you. He said you were just exhausted... But you kept sleeping and sleeping. You know how worried I was?" she scolded him. "Um...I'm sorry I couldn't do anything...Even though I was supposed to protect you, I... But your power... It was amazing!"

"What was that creature?"

"...You mean the Shadow? They're what we're fighting against. And the power you used...we call it 'Persona'. We'll explain everything later. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before..." she stood up and looked out the window, a sad expression on her face. "I, uh... I wanted to tell you that... I'm sorta like you. My dad died in an accident when I was little... And my mom and I aren't exactly on good terms... You lost your parents too, right? To be honest, I already know about your past... But, it didn't seem fair, so I wanted you to know about mine... It was back in 99'... There was a big explosion in the area. Supposedly, my dad died in the blast, but nobody really knows what happened... He was working in a lab run by the Kirijo Group. So, I'm hoping that if I stick around long enough, I'll find out something. That's why I'm going to Gekkoukan High, and why I was there when this happened to you. Of course, I panicked and wasn't much help... It was my first time fighting them, too. I'm sorry... You wouldn't have to go through all this if I wasn't such a coward..."

"It wasn't your fault. Trust me...I was scared too."

"Thanks...but still... And here I am telling you all this the minute you wake up. While I was waiting, I thought to myself: 'I've been hiding so many things from him... As soon as he wakes up, I'll tell him the truth'. So, thanks for listening. I've been wanting to share that story with someone for a long time." she smiled at him.

At that moment, a weird sensation came over Minato. It was like a sudden rush of adrenaline that powered up his body and soul, all at once. He was no longer tired. In fact, he was ready to kick ass! What was this feeling? He soon got his answer in the form of a card.

The sound of shattering glass echoed through Minato's ears as a cool looking velvet blue tarot card materialized in front of him.

The card depicted a huge tree in the middle with a pink tree crown and a giant black heart in the middle. To the left of the tree stood a male silhouette against a blue background, and to the right of the tree stood a female silhouette against a light pink background. On the very top of the card was a floating sun and on the bottom of the card stood the Roman numeral VI.

The stunning silence was then broken by a voice akin to that of Orpheus.

"Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou has established a new bond... Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Lovers Arcana…" the voice announced. The card then faded away into blue light and was absorbed into Minato.

_'W-what? W-was that...? Is this what Igor was talking about? Social...Links? Did I just...become more powerful?'_

"What's wrong?" Yukari interrupted his thoughts. "Y-you've been staring at me for a while now. It's...a little embarrassing..." she blushed.

"Oh...S-sorry, I guess I'm still a little dazed. By the way, my hand feels like it's being crushed. Did something happen to it?" he tried pulling it out from beneath the covers but it didn't budge.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that..." Yukari sighed. "Just take a look for yourself."

Minato used his free hand to pull away the covers and was...shocked to say the least.

Hamuko lay next to him in bed, wearing nothing but a bra and a pair of panties, which were white by the way, and was holding Minato's hand tightly to her not-so-modest chest.

"W-what the hell?!" Minato tried to pull his hand away, blushing deeply. "H-hey, Hamuko, let go! C'mon, wake up!"

"She's been by your side day and night ever since the incident." Yukari stated. "She refused to leave the room and even skipped school. She must really care about you, huh?"

"Yeah..." Minato stroke Hamuko's hair, like he used to do when they were kids.

"...Alright, I'm gonna get going. I'll let the others know you woke up. Take it easy, okay? But I'm sure there'll be no problem. Hamuko will take good care of you. Well, bye."

Minato now found himself in an annoyingly awkward situation. He was alone in the room with Hamuko. Who was fast asleep. In the bed. Half naked. With him. And he had his hand on her chest. Great.

Still, Minato was no pervert. We wasn't about to let himself get seduced, especially not by his sister. He quickly activated his Minato Barrier and regained his composure.

Looking down at his sister's cute sleeping face, Minato smiled.

"Thanks... for everything. But you don't have to worry about me. Not anymore. I have the power I sought for. The power to grow stronger. From now on... I'll protect you. I'll make sure that you'll never have to cry again. I promise."

Minato then lay down his head, ready to take a nap. But there was something bothering him. Maybe, just maybe... He had to be sure. He sat up and looked at Hamuko again. At her chest, to be more exact. Hamuko was still fast asleep and probably wasn't going to wake soon, the room was quiet, they were alone and curiosity was getting the better of him. He should be able to pull it off.

"I need to know..."

Moving his captured hand masterfully, he was able to silently slide it till it reached her left breast. He then tightened his grip on it.

"Really...?" Minato sighed.

After having another feel, he slid his hand back to its original place and lay down again.

"I knew it...Her boobs grew again."

* * *

**-Gekkoukan High School-**

**- Saturday, April 18****, 2009 -**

"Are you sure you're alright?" Hamuko asked her brother concerned. "Maybe you shoulda stayed at the dorm for today. It's a Saturday after all."

"You know how school is. If I'd miss one more day, I'd never hear the end of it. Besides, I'm completely fine now. Never been better."

"Yo!" Junpei called out to them, trying to catch up. "Long time no see. What happened to you two? You have an upset stomach or what? Hehe. Either way, I'm glad you guys are back. The school was getting gloomy without you."

"Sheesh, someone's full of energy today... I could hear you all the way from there." Yukari sighed. "Sorry to hit you with this first thing in the morning, Minato-kun, but..."

_'Minato-kun? Does she feel that casual around me already?'_

"...Ikutsuki-san wants to talk to you two today. Come to the 4th floor of the dorm after school, okay? Don't forget."

"Yeah, got it."

_'Huh. Wonder what he wants?'_

Meanwhile, Junpei was smiling creepily, lost somewhere in his thoughts.

"Oh Yeah! I can't wait till tonight! You know, I'm gonna...!" Junpei eagerly tried to explain something, but cut himself off. "Oh wait, it's supposed to be a secret. Sorry." he grinned. "By the way... I heard from someone that you guys share a bed! What's up with that? C'mon, tell me all the juicy details!"

"Yep, that's a very interesting story indeed. You see..."

_'...Next time I'll let the monster kill me...'_

* * *

**-Iwatodai Dormitory-**

"Well, we're here." Minato announced as they entered the room on the fourth floor. The room somewhat resembled the lounge downstairs. Ikutsuki, Yukari and Mitsuru where the only people in the room asides from them.

"Ah, there you are." the chairman greeted them. "I'm glad that you're okay. The reason I asked you here is because I needed to talk to you. But before that, we're still expecting two people."

"You don't have to wait any longer, we're here." an unfamiliar voice spoke. A white haired young man entered the room, followed by Junpei.

"J-Junpei...?! Why is he here?" Yukari jumped to her feat. "Wait, don't tell me..."

"I bumped into him the other night. He has the potential, but he just awakened to it recently. I told him about us, and he agreed to come tonight to get more details."

"He found me cryin' like a baby at the convinience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins. I don't remember much, but man, that's embarrassing."

"Excellent. Well then, now that everyone's here, let's all take a seat." the chairman announced. They complied. "Oh, before we go on..." he faced the twins. "...I believe I haven't introduced him yet. This is Akihiko." he introduced the white haired stranger.

"How ya doin'?" Akihiko greeted them.

"Okay, let me start off by asking you this... Would you believe me if I said that a day consists of more than 24 hours?"

"What?!" Junpei was shocked. "Dude, is that even possible?"

Minato and his sister decided to stay silent.

"I'm not surprised by your reaction." Mitsuru chuckled. "However, you've all experienced this truth firsthand. You had to have noticed the signs... The streetlights went out, nothing was working... There were coffins everywhere... Didn't it feel like you were in different time? That's the Dark Hour, a time period hidden between one day and the next."

_'So, it's called the Dark Hour, huh? Finally, I'm getting some answers.'_

"Whaddya mean 'hidden'?" Junpei asked.

"It occures each night, as the clock strikes twelve. It'll happen tonight, and every night to come." the chairman explained.

"Normal people don't realize it, since they're all sleeping inside their coffins. But, that's not what makes the Dark Hour so interesting." Akihiko continued. "...You saw those creatures. We call them 'Shadows'. They only appear during the Dark hour, and attack anyone not in a coffin. It's our job to defeat them. ...Sounds exciting, huh?"

"Akihiko! Why are you always like that? You just got hurt the other day!" Mitsuru scolded him.

"Now, now. He does his work well." the chairman came to his defense. "Long story short... We're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad - SEES for short. On paper, we're classified as a school club. But in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows. Mitsuru is the leader. I'm the club advisor."

"A Shadow feeds on the mind of its prey; the victim becomes a living corpse. They're responsible for most of the incidents on the news, if not all of them."

"So...then you fight them with these...Persona things, right?" Minato asked.

"Yes. Although rare, there are those who can function during the Dark Hour. Some may even awaken to a power that enables them to fight the Shadows. That's Persona, the power you used the other night. The Shadows can only be defeated by Persona-users. Which means, it's all up to you guys."

Mitsuru lifted a large silver case from the floor and put it on the table. Opening it, she revealed three uncannily gleaming silver guns.

"What he's trying to say is, we want you to join us. We've prepared Evokers for all of you. We'd like you to lend us your strength."

"Really?! Awesome!" Junpei quickly took one of the Evokers and happily started jumping up and down. "Man, this is so cool!"

"It looks like Iori's in. What about you two?" Mitsuru asked.

_'This is what we were seeking. If we join this group, we should be able to find out what happened all these years ago. I'm sure it has to do with something regarding the Shadows.'_

"Alright, count me in." Minato announced seriously and took a gun.

"Well, if Minato-nii's in, than so am I!" she smiled. She then followed Junpei's lead and started acting stupid.

"I was afraid you'd say no. Welcome aboard!" Yukari greeted him.

"Thank you so much. I'm really glad. Oh, I almost forgot... About your room assignments... Why don't you just stay here, in your current rooms? I don't know what the holdup is, but I guess it worked out in the end." the chairman chuckled.

"Alright, let's do our best!" Hamuko fist pumped.

Everybody was cheerful, celebrating the fact that the group was now big and ready to do... whatever they do. Minato on the other hand was busy observing the card that was forming in front of him. The card depicted a man carrying a stick on its shoulder with a bag tied to its far end, followed by a small dog. The number 0 stood at the bottom.

"Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou has established a new bond... Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Fool Arcana…" the eerie voice announced. The card was then absorbed into Minato, just like the other one.

_'A new social link? So, basically, the more friends I make, the more Social Links I get. And the stronger the bond, the stronger my power. Create bonds, huh? I... really don't want that._

* * *

**-Dark Hour-**

"Hi, how are you?" a young boys voice woke Minato up. Minato opened his tired eyes, and was surprised to see the creepy boy he met the night he first arrived.

"I-it's you! Who are you?"

"We've met before." he chuckled eerily. "Soon, the end will come. I remembered, so I thought I should tell you."

"The...end?"

"The end of everything. ...But to be honest, I don't really know what it is." he seemed a little sad. "Oh, looks like you've awakened to your power...and an unusual power it is. A power that takes many forms, yet is bound by none... It may prove to be your salvation, depending on where you end up." he explained. "Do you remember when we first met? I expect you to honor your commitment. I'll be watching you, even if you forget about me. Okay then, see you later." And with that, he disappeared as mysteriously as he showed up.

"...Kids these days."

* * *

**- Sunday, April 19, 2009 -**

The following night, everyone gathered on the fourth floor again, as the chairman said they would have their first mission.

"Okay, everybody's here. I'd like your undivided attention" the chairman spoke. "For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had. But, that number recently jumped to six. Therefore... Starting tonight at 12:00 AM, I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus."

"Tartarus? What's that? Sounds like toothpaste." Junpei remarked.

"You haven't seen it, Junpei?" Yukari asked.

"It's no surprise...since it only appears during the Dark Hour." the chairman explained.

"Just like the Shadows. Interesting, huh? And it's the perfect place for us to train. You can think of it as a Shadow nest." Akihiko said.

"Whoa... Their nest, huh...?"

"But, senpai... what about your injury?"

"Since Akihiko hasn't fully recovered yet, he'll only come as far as the entrance."

"...Yeah, I know." he sounded disappointed.

"Well, I'm sure he won't complain, as long as you don't go too far in. Since we're dealing with Shadows, Tartarus isn't something we can avoid." the chairman continued.

"Alright! Let's do this!" Hamuko cheered.

"Yeah!" Junpei followed suit. "Relax, we got your backs!"

"..I'm not so sure about this." Yukari remarked.

_'I worry about those two sometimes...'_

"What about you, Mr. Chairman?" Mitsuru asked.

"I'll stay here. As you know, I can't summon a Persona..." he sighed.

* * *

The group made their way through the night until they finally reached their destination: Gekkoukan High School.

"This is it? THIS is the place?" Junpei asked. "Why HERE?"

"Just wait a few minutes... It's almost midnight..."

Sure enough, as the clock hit midnight, the Dark Hour commenced and their school...changed. What stood before them now wasn't their warm, welcoming school, but an eerie tower that seemed to reach out towards the moon. The entire structure was of a sickly green color with a weird style, like it was from some kind of horror-fantasy game.

"This is Tartarus - the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour." Mitsuru explained.

"Labyrinth...? What are you talking about!?" Junpei asked in shock. "What happened to our school!?"

"Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal."

"This is the 'nest' you were talking about?! But why?! Why'd our school turn into a giant tower?!"

"..."

"You don't know either?"

"...No."

_'She hesitated a bit. She's hiding something.'_

"I'm sure it's complicated." Yukari concluded. "Who cares anyway? It's not like it would change our minds about fighting."

"Well, maybe now we'll find out." Akihiko added. "Mitsuru and I have only gone inside to take a peek. This will be our first time exploring it. Exciting, isn't it?"

"Oh yeah! I'm pumped! I'm so freakin' pumped!" Hamuko shouted and ran on ahead by herself.

"Geez, what's wrong with her?" Minato sighed. "C'mon, let's go before she gets herself killed."

* * *

"WOW!" Hamuko exclaimed as the others entered.

"Whoa... It's just as cool on the inside."

And they weren't joking, it really was amazing. A giant staircase led to a big door that was part of some kind of clock. To the right of the stairs stood a weird green portal-like device, which was unfortunately deactivated, and to the left stood a small golden grandfather clock.

"This is only the entrance. The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs."

"First, we'll have you four get a feel for this place. Why don't you go have a look around?"

"What?! By ourselves?" Yukari asked scared.

"We're not asking you to go very far, and I'll be feeding you information from here." Mitsuru reassured her.

"We're also going to appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions."

"For real? ...One of us? Oh! Oh! Me me me! Pick me!" Junpei jumped in excitement.

"...Uh..." Akihiko looked discouraged. "Minato, you're in charge."

"W-wait! Why him?! He doesn't look like a leader!" Junpei was enraged.

_'Yeah, he's right. I don't have spiky hair. Leaders always need to have spiky hair. It's the law.'_

"But, he HAS fought them before. And so did Hamuko." Yukari came to his defense.

"Seriously?"

"That's true, but there's another reason." Akihiko explained. "You two…Can you summon your Persona without any difficulties, like he can?"

"Y-yeah, of course I can!" Junpei exclaimed.

"I think so." Yukari said, still not entirely sure.

"These are Shadows we're talking about here. Without your Persona, you're screwed."

"Arisato... do you think you can do it?" Mitsuru asked him.

_'It's seems like this is the only solution. Junpei and Yukari still haven't summoned their Personas yet, and Hamuko...'_

"Okay, I accept, but only on one condition. Hamuko is to be my second-in-command. Is that agreeable?"

"Yes, I don't see why not. It could actually be of great help in certain situations."

"Alright then. It's settled."

"Well then, first, let me give you some weapons. After all, you'll have to be able to protect yourself, in case your Persona is busy. I believe we've chosen suitable weapons for all of you."

There was much happiness among the group of heroes. Junpei was energetically swinging his two handed sword like a baseball bat, whilst Hamuko was spinning with her new naginata. They...looked kinda ridiculous. Yukari received a bow and a quiver full of arrows,and Minato a beautifully crafted wakizashi. It was, in fact, the perfect weapon for him.

"Sweet! Now we're gonna kick some serious ass!" Junpei announced.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Mitsuru presented the group with another silver case. Opening the case, she revealed four silver... gauntlets?

_'They kinda remind me of the gauntlets from Bakugan.'_

"These devices will be of the utmost importance. They way they work resembles a Start menu from video games, so it should be quite easy to use. You can explore all the functions later, for now, I will explain the important ones." she handed one to each member, who then put them on their left hands. "To activate the device, press the Start button located under the screen. After that, you'll see the screen light up. From there on, you'll be navigating through the menu using the touch screen. As you can see, there are many icons to choose from, but we'll be concentrating on the top five: Skills, Status, Items, Map and Communication. If you press on the Communication button, it will allow you to contact either me or any ally. You'll be able to talk freely, as if the person were right next to you. If you turn on the camera, you'll even be able to see each other. Pressing the Map icon will display the explored areas of the floor you are on, as well as everyone's current position. The Items menu will present to you the list of items in the teams possession. You can then select any one of them. By doing this, the device will immediately transport the item onto your person from the storage area. When you find items that you wish to take with you, just go to the Items menu and press the 'Transfer to Storage' button. The Status menu will show you your Persona's status as well as its level, experience points and experience needed to advance to the next level. It even displays the next skill your Persona will learn. And finally, the Skills menu will show you the skills your Persona can use. As for the gauntlet itself, it is highly durable, so if you have no other choice, you may even use it as a shield. It is by no means unbreakable though, so try to not let it take too much punishment. If you want to learn more about all the menus and the devices functions, just select the Info icon. It explains everything."

Everyone just stood and stared in awe, as they were still trying to comprehend how the hell a device like this could even exist. This was some seriously advanced piece of technology. It may not be such a big deal in 400 years in the future, but...

"This is incredible. Who invented this thing?" Minato asked.

"Back when the Kirijo Group first found out about the Shadows and Personas, we knew that the only way to protect humanity was to fight them. A genius scientist, head of the Kirijo Technological Institute, worked on numerous devices to aid Persona-users in their battle. The Evokers and the Gauntlets were just some of them." Mitsuru explained.

"And where is he now?"

"I'm afraid he disappeared now ten years ago... and he deleted all data of the projects he worked on and of himself when he left. No one even knows his name. Few have met him, since he was a secretive man. Anybody who has is already dead. He might be as well."

"I see. Well then, I guess we should thank him, he made our job a lot easier. Either way, it's time for us to go!" Minato announced.

"RIGHT!"


	5. Starting Days

**-Tartarus-**

**-Dark Hour-**

The group, determined to uncover the secrets of the eerie tower, put an end to the Dark Hour, save the world, and most importantly, kick some Shadow ass, started making it's way towards the door at the top of the stairs. A sudden flash of blue light quickly caught Minato's attention though. Looking back, he was surprised to see a beautifully ornate blue velvet door just floating there next to the stairs. How did he miss that? It should've been the first thing to catch his eye. Wait, could that possibly be...the entrance to the Velvet Room?

"Hold on guys, I need to check out something." Minato announced the group and headed back down the stairs.

"Hey, where you goin' man? Don't tell me you're chickenin' out!" Junpei remarked.

_'Figures. It seems no one else can see that goddamn door. And no, I'm not chickening out!'_

He quickly ran past Mitsuru and Akihiko, who were both shocked to see their chosen leader apparently running away in fear, and finally reached the door. But it wouldn't budge.

"Damn! That was useless."

As Minato whispered these words, the key which he received from Igor started glowing in his pocket. Flying out, the key neatly made its way to the lock and unsealed the door.

_'Wait a sec... What the hell was that doing in my pocket? I'm pretty sure I left it at home.'_

Well, it's not like it really mattered anymore. The door was unlocked, so Minato decided to enter. As the door creaked open, he was blinded by a blue light. When the light faded and Minato was able to open his eyes again, he discovered that he was, indeed, in the Velvet Room.

* * *

**-Velvet Room-**

"I've been waiting for you." Igor welcomed him. "The time has come for you to wield your power. The tower that you are about to venture into... How did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist? Regrettably, you are not yet capable of answering these questions. That is why you must be made aware of the nature of your power."

"The nature... of my power? What exactly do you mean?"

"Your power is unique. It's like the number zero... It's empty, but at the same time holds infinite possibilities. You, my boy, are able to possess multiple Personas, and summon them as needed. And when you have defeated your enemies, you will see the faces of possibility before you. There may be times when they are difficult to grasp... But, do not fear. Seize what you have earned. Your power will grow accordingly... Be sure to keep that in mind."

"Um, I think I understand most of what you said, but...this is all so sudden, it's a little confusing."

"I understand your worry, but do not fear. Everything will become clear in due time. Now then... My spare time will soon be scarce. But, please come again of your own accord. I'll tell you then about my true role...the manner in which I can best assist you. Until then... Farewell."

* * *

**-Tartarus-**

**-Dark Hour-**

"Heeeeey! Earth to Minato!" Junpei started snapping his fingers in front of Minato's face.

"Huh?"

"Man, what happened to you? You look like a zombie."

"Uh... It's nothing. I just thought I saw something."

"There's nothing here, dude! C'mon, let's go already!"

"Hey, cut him some slack!" Yukari came to his defense. "He's probably just a little nervous."

"Is everything alright, Arisato?" Mitsuru asked concerned.

"Yeah, we're good to go now. Sorry for the wait."

"Okay. Good luck!"

* * *

**-Tartarus, Block One: Thebel -**

**-Dark Hour-**

Now truly inside the labyrinth called Tartarus, the unlikely group wandered the eerie hallways of the tower.

"T-this place sure is creepy..." Yukari shivered.

"Pretty cool though." Hamuko added.

**"Can you all hear me?"** their gauntlets suddenly spoke.

"Whoa! Is that you, Senpai?"

**"Yes. I'll be providing audio backup from here on out."**

"Wait... Ya mean, you can see inside here?"

**"It's my Persona's ability. I'd like to join you, but the structure of Tartarus changes from day to day. That's why outside support is imperative."**

"Well. THAT makes me feel a whole lot better..."

**"Now, based on your current location, you can expect to encounter enemies at any minute. They shouldn't be too tough, but proceed with caution. Practice makes perfect."**

"Roger that. Alright guys, let's roll!"

* * *

**"Watch out! I detect a Shadow in front of you! Move in and eliminate it!"**

"Ah, I see it." Minato announced. Said Shadow was actually little more than a blob of black mass, pulling itself across the floor with its two long clawed hands. It also had a mask on, the same blue mask the giant Shadow had, albeit it was smaller and didn't have the roman numeral carved into it. Maybe it was its baby?

"Okay Junpei, let's see what you can do. Yukari, you cover for him."

"Y-you serious? All right!" Junpei happily marched towards the enemy. "Let's see what this baby can do!" he lifted his Evoker to his head and, closing his eyes, he pulled the trigger.

"Hermes!"

The creature that emerged was clad in blue armor, with really sharp looking golden wings attached to both its arms and legs, as well as a golden helmet, also adorned with wings. Pretty cool, actually. Hermes didn't waste any time at all and quickly raced towards its prey, slicing its way through both its body and its mask. Cut exactly in two, the Shadow splattered across the ground and melted away. The Persona also faded after the Shadow's destruction.

"Oh yeah! That's how it's done!"

"Heh, not bad at all, Junpei!" Minato congratulated him. "Alright, Yukari, the next one is yours." he pointed at another Shadow which arrived in the meantime.

"Huh? Oh, o-okay, I think I can do it."

Obviously scared, the brunette mustered enough courage to depart from the safety of the group and confronted the intimidating enemy alone. Trembling, she lifted her Evoker to her forehead, but for whatever reason, she couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger. It was just like before, she was simply too afraid to do anything. The Shadow took advantage of her hesitation and quickly attacked with its claws, knocking Yukari down.

**"Takeba!"** Mitsuru called out from the other end of the line.

"Damn it! Junpei, go help her! Use only your sword this time, I want to see how well you handle yourself!" Minato ordered.

"Got it!" Junpei answered and went to Yukari's aid.

Junpei clumsily swung his sword as if it were a baseball bat, making it quite easy for the enemy to dodge it. It quickly countered, though Junpei was able to block it. As he continued his struggle with the Shadow, Minato stayed back and analyzed him.

_"Hmm, his attacks are clumsy and very slow. Also, his defense is incredibly weak. He probably learned how to wield a sword from video games. On the other hand..."_

"Take this!" Junpei shouted, as he swung his sword down onto the enemy, managing to cut through both its claws and its mask.

_"...it seems like he's got a lot of physical strength. Heh, who would've guessed?"_

"Oh yeah! Who's the man!? That's two down for me!"

"Great job, Junpei!" Hamuko congratulated him.

"Are you okay, Yukari?" Minato asked the injured girl, offering his hand.

"Uh...Y-yeah, I'm fine..." she let their leader pull her up. "Don't worry, it's just a scratch..." she flinched in pain as she held her bloodied arm.

"I don't think so. That looks painful as hell. Let me see if we got something useful in the inventory."

* * *

After playing around for a while on his gauntlet, Minato finally found something which might be of use. It was entitled simply as Medicine, and apparently it 'Slightly restores an ally's HP'. According to the device, Yukari did lose some HP, so this was their best shot at healing her. Selecting the Medicine, the gauntlet began emitting an eerie pale green light, which then somehow managed to materialize the said item.

"Woah. Awesome." Minato exclaimed. "Um, this is cool and all, but how in the world am I supposed to use this?"

* * *

Seeing the group bicker among themselves while clumsily trying to use the item was quite a spectacle, though it probably became a little boring after a while, since Mitsuru eventually stepped in and offered the obvious solution.

**"...just drink it."**

...That was all?!

* * *

"Ugh. Man, that thing was bitter." Yukari exclaimed as the team continued its quest.

"But it sure is amazing. Even your wound closed up. Wonder what that thing actually is?"

**"Be careful! I sense multiple Shadow rapidly approaching! Be on your guard" **Mitsuru interrupted the conversation.

"Four, huh?" Minato said in a monotonous voice after checking the Gauntlets map. "Alright Hamuko! Will you do the honors?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" she smiled, gripping her naginata. "Let me show you how it's done, guys!"

She rushed in with no qualms, but quickly found herself surrounded by the enemies.

"Uh, shouldn't we help her?" Junpei asked worried.

"You kidding? It's way too dangerous. If we get in her way, we might end up getting killed by accident." Minato calmly answered.

"Hah! You small fry aren't even worth our time!" Hamuko berated the monsters, and then started the massacre.

The Shadow on her right was the first to go. Hoping to get her in one strike, it wanted to try an attack to the head. But before it could even react, the blade of Hamuko's naginata was already halfway in its body. The Shadow stayed impaled in the air for about three seconds, before finally splattering all over the walls. Hamuko smiled in satisfaction.

"Next."

The Shadow to her left gave in to her taunt, hissing angrily. Using its arms, it lifted its body and threw itself towards the girl, ready to maul her. Still, the crimson eyed beauty didn't even flinch and with an effortless swoop of her naginata, cut it clean in half. The two parts of the monsters body were soon nothing but a stain on the floor. She then continued her rampage and bifurcated the third Shadow behind her. As for the fourth one... Well, all it could do was a desperation attack, as it was clearly out of its league. Hamuko stomped on its face, preventing it from reaching her. The Shadow kept flailing its arms, but it was unable to reach her. It seemed to actually be too afraid to attack her. Either way, it was an easy kill. The girl kept on stomping on its face, cracking it a little with every move.

"Die." she exclaimed, and with a final kick shattered the mask. The blue pieces fell to the ground, leaving the maskless body to melt away.

Hamuko returned to her team victorious, casually resting her dirtied naginata on her shoulder.

"Huh? What's wrong with ya guys? Why're ya lookin' at me like I'm some kinda freak?! Ya wanna' say somethin'?!" Hamuko angrily asked the group, more exactly Junpei and Yukari, who were just too surprised to even say anything.

"That's enough." Minato smiled and gently patted her on the head. "Let's just keep on going."

"Tch. Whadd'ya think I am, some kind of puppy?! Get yer hands of me!". And with that she stormed off.

* * *

"W-what in the world just happened?" Yukari asked, puzzled beyond words. Junpei shared her confusion.

"Heh, yeah, I guess I've got some explaining to do, huh?" Minato mumbled. "Let's wait 'till later though. We have enough problems here. If we let her rampage around on her own, she'll end up hurting herself"

"Seriously, what's going on?!" Junpei pressed on.

"We'll discuss it later. Let's just say Hamuko gets a little ... "aggressive", when when it comes to more... "exciting situations". It's no big deal. Like I said, I'll tell you guys about it later."

* * *

And that was pretty much it for the day. The group spent some time trying to find a teleporter of sorts that brought them back to the ground floor of Tartarus.

"Welcome back." Mitsuru greeted them. "So, how was it?"

"Wow! That was so cool!" Junpei ecstatically answered.

"It's hard to believe that a place like this actually exists. This is solid video game material here." Minato agreed.

_'Hmm, Persona? Yeah, would be a good title for the game, if it'd exist.'_

" I never knew I had that kinda power! We kicked some ass! But damn, I'm beat..."

"That's cuz you were bouncin' around like a little kid."

"You look pretty tired yourself, Yuka-tan."

"I'm still trying to catch my breath, actually..."

"That's the effect of the Dark Hour; you'll become more fatigued easily. Don't worry, though, you'll adapt. But I'm surprised... You all did much better than I expected."

"I don't know, I didn't really get to do anything in the end. There weren't really any Shadows left after Hamuko ran off." Minato apologized.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me, what actually happened back there?" Akihiko asked. "Mitsuru said she felt something weird about her after the fight."

"Ah, c'mon, can't we talk about that later?" Hamuko whined. "I'm tired like hell and I wanna sleep!"

Due to Hamuko's continuous complaining, the talk was obviously not making any progress, so they decided to just go back home and retire for the day. Tomorrow's a school day after all!

* * *

**- Monday, April 20, 2009 -**

Monday, the day hated most by Minato. And who could blame him. Waking up early, school and a morning assembly. I mean, seriously, what the hell, life?! Plus, yesterday was really tiring, with the whole Tartarus exploration and all. One of his classmates struck up a conversation with him in front of the gates, Kenji was his name. Probably. Minato was too tired to care at the moment. Either way, morning assembly time for students, so it's time for Minato to make his way to a safe haven: the school roof.

* * *

**- School Roof -**

Yep, Minato is no fan of boring speeches and such. Sleeping on the roof is a lot better.

"Huh, I never would've labeled you as the delinquent type, like me." a familiar voice called out to him.

"Huh?" he sat up to see the gray-haired girl he met on his first day. "Oh, hello. Mori-san, was it?"

"Just call me Ayame. I like it better. Nice to see you again, Minato." she smiled. "So, what happened to you? Heard you were in the hospital for a long time. Rumor has it you were knocked out by some thugs."

"Y-yeah, something like that."

_'Damn rumors.'_

"Well, all ya have to do is tell me who the bastards were and I'll make sure to send'em on a one-way trip to the morgue!"

"Don't worry about it, I took care of them already."

"Oh, so you really are a delinquent, huh?"

"N-no, I just..." he started, but then stopped himself. "Actually, now that I think about it, I guess you could call me that."

"Ya don't seem like a bad guy though. More like, one of those guys who skip class, stay away from others and have an unusual hairstyle, but always gets high grades and such."

"Uh, yeah, I guess. But, you're pretty much the same, right?"

"Nah, I'm more of the bad type. Get into fights, bad grades, spends more time in the principals office than in class. Well, I guess I'm not the one looking for trouble..."

"Weird, I can't really imagine why anyone would bother you."

"Well, y'know, the world is full of shitheads. And if ya get in trouble once, they label you forever. It's not all that bad though. At least most people leave ya alone, and the occasional fights keep you in shape. Ya don't seem to have that trouble though. You're actually pretty popular. At least the girls in my class seem to like you a lot. But, I guess I can understand them. You're a pretty cool guy."

"T-thanks."

_'Damn, I'm not used to talking like this to people. This is gonna get awkward.'_

"You remember what you said back when we met? About us becoming friends? Did you really mean it?"

"Yeah, of course. I don't really know a lot of people here anyway and it never hurts to make new friends, huh?"

"Well, I guess. Still, you're weird for wanting to become friends with me. But, it's your call."she sighed. "Well, I gotta get going. See ya later, Friend."

"Yeah, later, Friend.

_'...Friend, huh?'_

* * *

**- After School -**

"Boring lectures, boring school..." Minato groaned as he woke up from his pleasant dream. School was over for the day, it's finally time to go home.

"Hey, Onii-chan!" Hamuko waved at him. "You sleep well?"

"Better than ever. What's up?"

"I overheard some girls this morning talking about the athletic teams! And I also found this flyer!" she handed the paper to him. "Looks like they're accepting new members! We should join one! There's a great variety to choose from!"

"Huh, I dunno, I think I'd rather just sleep."

"Oh, I know! How about the Kendo Club?! You were great at kendo!"

After her sister uttered these words, Minato was overcome by pure fear, the horrible memories of the past filling his mind.

"NO! Not kendo! Anything but that!" he screamed, gaining a few glances. "Did you forget what happened last year! No way I'm joining the Kendo Club, or any club for that matter!"

"Oh, but you were really popular, remember? The girls were crazy for you!"

"That's what I'm afraid of! Don't you remember the restraining order incident from last year?!"

"So, no kendo?"

"No kendo."

"That's too bad. Cuz, ya know... I sorta kinda maybe possibly may have already signed you up..."

"...what?"

* * *

"What am I even doing here?" Minato sighed. He was already clad in his equipment and ready for a match, even if he wasn't too happy about it.

"C'mon, cheer up. If ya don't wanna be famous, all you have to do is lose the match." Hamuko suggested.

"I don't wanna do that. I hate losing."

They continued arguing while the coach presented him. Minato then met Yuko, the club manager, and Kazushi, the star of the club.

_'Looks like he's the hot shot over here. Oh, that's right, he's in my class, I think.'_

"You're the guy who went out with Yukari on the first day of school, right?" he asked, jealousy in his voice. "You're practically famous. I'm Miyamoto Kazushi. You've seen me around, right? Just because you joined mid-season, don't think I'll go easy on you! Actually, since you're already in your equipment, how about a quick round?"

"No thanks. Honestly, I don't even know..." Minato started, but was suddenly interrupted by Kazushi trying to strike him. Had it not been for his fast reflexes, Minato would've been in for some pain. "W-what the hell man?! At least wait until I put on my helmet!"

"Nice dodge! Always be vigilant!" Kazushi exclaimed and continued striking at him.

_'Damn, what's with this guy?! He's seriously trying to hit me! What the hell?!'_

Minato quickly put his helmet on and started blocking Kazushi's relentless strikes. There was some impressive power behind the attacks.

_'Damn, he could be quite useful in Tartarus. We should find a way to get him a Persona.'_

Minato kept up the dodging and blocking for a short while, but he eventually got bored. Trying to take the offensive, he managed to parry Kazushi's strike and ended the fight with a nice smack to the head.

* * *

"Woah, man, that was something else! You beat me like it was nothing! You must have a lot of fighting experience, huh? You do some kind of special training or something?" Kazushi interrogated Minato after the match, and after everyone managed to recover from the shock of seeing their teams shining star getting owned by this seemingly scrawny newcomer.

"Um, well, I guess you can say that. My grandfather really pushed me when it came to martial arts and the likes. He wanted to uphold the tradition of all the family members being 'warriors', or something like that."

"Well then, I'm sure you can help us come up with a special exercise routine to make all of us stronger! Welcome to the team, Minato!" Kazushi shook his hand. "From now on, you're ours after school, don't forget!"

Once again, like the other times when he became more acquainted with someone, he felt a burst of energy and a card materializing before him. The card depicted some kind of gladiator on a war chariot, pulled by two Sphinx-like creatures.

"Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou has established a new bond... Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Chariot Arcana…"

_'New Social Link, huh? Great, means more work and trouble for me...'_

* * *

**-Iwatodai Dormitory, Hamuko's Room-**

"Seriously, Hamuko! I can't believe you did that!" Minato started, sitting on the bed.

"Aw, c'mon! Where's your Fighting Spirit? You're supposed to be Weapon Master Minato! Plus, I highly doubt that there's anyone around who could possibly beat you!" Hamuko noted, jumping next to him.

"That's not the point! I'm not afraid of losing, but this whole thing is a hassle! Plus, you know very well what's gonna happen! It'll be just like last year! Oh, the nightmares I still have..."

"What, don't you like fan girls? I mean, even without what happened today, I hear the girls are already talking about you! You lucky little charmer, you!" Hamuko patted Minato's back reassuringly, having, what can only be described as, a very pervy look on her face. "C'mon, I know you don't mind it that much! You like girls, don't you? I mean, I know you brought a few home, back in the days..." Hamuko kept going. By now, you can literally imagine her sprouting cat ears and wiggling them excitedly. Add a tail to the mix and you got a perverted catgirl Hamuko, about to reveal Minato's possible 'Private Life'.

"I have no idea what you're talking about..." Minato tried to deny her words, wanting to really change the subject.

"Aww, c'mon! I know my brother's secrets... Hehehe." she smiled the smile of the devil.

"Seriously, I have no idea what you're talking about. I think you're mistaking me with you!"

"Whaaaa-? Oh, wait." Hamuko stopped. "Damn, I think you're right!"

"See. Man, I really hate it when you mix us up."

"But that's only because we're so similar!"

"What do you mean? We have literally nothing in common when it comes to personalities. We're pretty much opposites. And by the way, would you mind telling me why you were bringing girls to your room? I mean, not that it would be better if it were guys, but still..." Minato started thinking. "Hey, wait! You were up to something, weren't you!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about..."

"Hamuko... What did you do?"

"Nooooothing. Nothing bad. Or at least, nothing illegal."

"Geez." Minato sighed and facepalmed. "I just hope you didn't get anyone in trouble."

"Nah! They were all super-duper happy when they left!"

"I'm sure they were..." Minato tried to end this annoyingly weird conversation.

"But now seriously, you're already popular! You could get a girlfriend any time you want, all you have to do is ask someone out. I'm pretty sure most girls would jump for you." Hamuko started encouraging her brother. "You're not too shy, are you?"

"..."

"..."

"...No, that's not the problem."

"Then what's wrong?"

"I don't really want a girlfriend."

"Why not?"

"...Because it's too much trouble. There's already too many people around us. I don't want to have to deal with even more."

"..."

"Things are okay, the way they are going now. I don't need anything else. All I want to do..."

"..."

"...is finish this case."

"..."

"..."

Silence fell for a short while. Yeah, this was what Hamuko was afraid of. His brother was still like this inside.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Hamuko screamed to break the silence.

"Wha-?"

"That's no good, Onii-chan! You need to get to know more people! And you need a girlfriend! That way, you can do all kinds of fun stuff together!" she continued shouting. "Fun dates, movies, sweets, kisses and hugs! Fun in bed!"

"Wha-?"

"Okay, I'll get you a girlfriend! Let's make a list of potentials!" Hamuko took out a notepad and a pen.

"Hey, wait a se-!"

"Okay, let's see! First off, the girls we know!"

"Geez, listen to me sometimes, will you." Minato sighed and resigned to his fate. "...okay, shoot."

"Yukari! She's cute, has a nice body, gorgeous legs, and, don't ask me how I know, but I'm pretty sure she has a ...good mouth." Hamuko winked.

" No. Too pink."

"Ok then! Mitsuru! Elegant and beautiful, smart, sophisticated, and really rich! I bet she doesn't have any experience, but is still very experienced, if you know what I mean!"

"No. Too serious. And no, not in the slightest."

"Hmm, wait, that's pretty much all we got. Wait, what about that girl you talked with on our first day? The one with the gray hair!"

"Who, Ayame?"

"Ayame?! Oh, so you're on a first-name basis with her already?!" Hamuko smiled. "So, what's the deal? Do anything interesting together? Any juicy details I should know about?"

"No." Minato pushed her out of his face. "We're just friends. Plus, she's too... delinquenty."

"Huh. Well then, that's all I got for now. I'll ask round school for you tomorrow."

"You really don't need to do that. Actually, please don't."

"No way. I'll find you a girlfriend, even if I need to search the whole country! Hey, wait, there's still one we forgot!"

"...Who?"

"Hehe, me, silly. I may be the best for you! Adorable, cheerful, funny, sexy, willing to give herself to you... Why not?"

"Too related to me by blood."

"Oh... But what if I weren't?" Hamuko smiled seductively and started unbuttoning her blouse, revealing her ample cleavage. "What if we weren't twins, but childhood friends? Maybe you'd like me then?"

"Too annoying, too perverted, too..."

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Hamuko pouted and buttoned her blouse back up. "Geez."

"I didn't say no, did I?" Minato smiled and poked her on the forehead.

"Wha-?" Hamuko blushed slightly.

"And on that Bombshell, its time to end this. Goodnight!"

And with that, he went back to his room to sleep.


	6. A day in the life of Minato

p**-Tuesday, April 21, 2009-**

******-Iwatodai Dormitory**-

Another early morning, another tiring day for Minato. And this day is sure to make him go crazy. Yesterday, he beat the star of the kendo team. Today, people will want to talk to him and spend time with him. Oh, hell no! Ain't gonna happen!

_'Maybe I should've just let him beat me...' _Minato started wondering. A knock on the door quickly interrupted him though.

"Knock, knock, anybody home?" Hamuko cheerfully asked, barging into the room.

"You should wait 'till you get a response before coming in, y'know? Otherwise, there's no real purpose in knocking."

"Okie-dokie! I won't knock next time!" she smiled.

_'Yeah. I need to learn to keep my mouth shut.'_

"Meh, whatever. Let's go, we're gonna be late."

"Oh, what's the hurry? Usually you'd still be wrapped in your blanket and be complaining about having to go."

"Yeah, well, if it wasn't for a certain 'someone', who forced me to go to kendo again, I wouldn't be in this situation now. You know very well what's gonna happen!"

"Yeah, I guess so..." she giggled. "It sure is gonna be fun, I can't wait! Got my camera ready and all!"

And with that, she ran downstairs.

_'Damn. I keep on forgetting how dangerous she really is.'_

* * *

**-Gekkoukan High School-**

Minato's day was going, uh, well... good enough. He got to school pretty early, so there weren't that many students around. Still, he did get a few glances from a few girls. Still not overly worrying, but still, it's a sign.

Some of his classmates gave him the occasional look during class, though one particular stare coming from who-knows-where was stronger than the others. Another sign!

Still, none of these could even possibly compare to the overwhelming stare of a certain Classical Literature teacher known as Ekoda.

_'What's this guys deal? He's been looking at me for over 30 minutes now.'_

Indeed. Ever since that 'incident' in which Ekoda, for whatever reason, went crazy and ran out of the classroom, he's been keeping an eye on Minato. And by that, I mean he's been literally stalking him around school. The guy must be really out of there.

Hamuko on the other hand seemed to be getting a more positive attention from the crazed teacher. Then again, unlike him, she didn't have the habit of dozing off during class and always had the right answer for any question. Plus, the guy was probably a pervert.

* * *

**-Lunchtime-**

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand lunchtime!" Hamuko announced. "Hmm, what's wrong, Onii-chan? You seem a little tired."

"Mm. Ekoda staring. All day. Couldn't sleep. Want to." Minato growled.

"Seriously, what's that guys problem with you?" Yukari asked. "I mean, he's usually strict with everyone, but he seems to really have it out for you."

"Who knows. The guys crazy. Plus, his classes are boring. I could've slept so well, but he just had to be annoying."

"Cheer up! Math's next, you can sleep plenty during that." Hamuko tried to lift his spirits a little.

"Yeah, thanks."

"By the way, Minato-kun. I heard you joined the kendo club, right? What's it like?"

_'Oh great, not that! Here we go...'_

"Yeah, man! I heard you even beat Kazushi already! That guy's a real maniac, so that's really something!" Junpei praised him unexpectedly. "C'mon, tell us all about it!"

"Oh, wow, really?" Yukari sounded impressed. "I saw that you know your way around weapons, but I never thought you were that good!"

"Uh, yeah. My grandfather is a really strict man. It's been a sort of tradition in our family for everyone to be at peak condition and such. He forced me to learn all kinds of different fighting styles with the sword."

_'Honestly never thought it'd be of any use, but now I'm glad I trained that much.'_

"I trained with him too!" his sister exclaimed. "Except I trained with the naginata."

"Huh, no wonder you fought so well the other night at Tartarus." Junpei speculated. "Oh yeah, what happened back there? You went all violent and stuff all of a sudden."

"Oh, uh, well... that was...I mean..."Hamuko as struggling a little to find some good words. "Oh, hey, Yukari! I need to talk to you in private about something important! Have a minute?"

"Huh, yeah,sure, but..." Yukari tried to say something but was quickly dragged out of the classroom.

"What's up with her?"

"Who knows. Probably too much sugar."

_'I dunno why, but I sense trouble.'_

* * *

Minato and Junpei spent a while talking about random stuff when all of a sudden that boy from the day before, Kenji, decided to join them. The guy seemed to be pretty okay. He was a little bit like Junpei. No wonder they seemed to get along well. He didn't stay long though. He apparently had to meet up with someone. Suspicious? No, not really. Either way, he invited Minato and Junpei to meet up with him for some ramen after school. As soon as he left, the girls came back. Interesting timing.

"Hey, what's up guys? Who were you talking to?"

"Oh, we just had a chat with Kenji. We're gonna meet up for some ramen later."

"Never mind that. What were you guys doing? You left kinda suspiciously." Minato inquired.

"Oh, y'know. Just girl stuff." the two responded at once, with Hamuko giving her brother a wink. "We're gonna go do some things after school, so don't get worried if we come back a little late."

_'Bad feeling's back again.'_

"Well, either way..." Minato started but was cut off by a girl calling his name.

"Hey, Minato!"

It was Ayame. Minato quickly noted that everyone in the room, including Yukari and Junpei, got a little tense. Looks like she really does have a bad reputation.

"I thought I'd find you here. How's it going?"

"Pretty well. Enjoying lunch"

"Great. I'd love to stay and chat, but unfortunately, I'm here for a reason. The Principal said he wants to talk to ya and your sister."

"Oh?"

* * *

As the twins were led by the delinquent girl through the halls, students were literally knocking each other down trying to get out of the way. This situation they were in wasn't really good for their reputation. Then again, if he gets seen together with such a fierce and intimidating individual, people might be too scared to approach Minato. So, this wasn't such a bad thing after all. Still, what could the Principal want with them. Maybe Ekoda fed him some lies.

As they reached the Principal's Office, Ayame didn't even bother to knock, she just waltzed right in, as if she owned the place.

"Hey, Donut hole! I brought'em over, just like you asked me to!"

_'Interesting...'_

"Ah, excellent. Thank you very much, Ayame." the Principal politely responded.

"No probs. I'll be goin' now, call me if you need anything else! Talk to you later, Minato! Nice meeting you, Minato's sister."

And with that, she left.

"Nice meeting you too!" Hamuko waved her goodbye and shouted after her. "My name's Hamuko by the way! Let's meet up later! I wanna talk about stuff!"

* * *

**-Principal's Office-**

"Well then..." the Principal started. "I'm sure both of you are wondering why I summoned you to my office."

"Uh..."

"Please, don't worry. You're not in any trouble or anything like that! I just wanted to see the two of you and personally welcome you to Gekkoukan. I was actually awaiting the moment I would be able to welcome you, and here we are. "

"Um..."

"I'm guessing you two are a little confused about what's going on and what I'm saying, right? Well, I'll get to that in a minute. First of all, let me say it!" the Principal took a deep breath and stood up. "Arisato Minato... Arisato Hamuko... Welcome to Gekkoukan High School! It's a pleasure!" he finished by shaking their hands.

"Uh..."

"I do apologize that I wasn't able to greet you sooner. But as you can imagine, I was quite busy, with the start of the year and all. Actually, I'm still really busy, but I just couldn't take the wait anymore. I just had to see you two!"

"I..."

"Still, I heard plenty of you two already! You sure were quick to build a reputation! Hamuko, I've heard a lot of good about you. The teachers are already praising your dedication to studying. You always pay attention in class and have the answers to everything. And I've heard that the students are getting quite fond of you, especially the boys. Did you think of joining any clubs, I'm sure it would do you much good."

"Yes, in fact, I was thinking of joining the Tennis Club. I heard they're gonna start recruiting new members soon, so I'll try my best to get on the team!"

"Splendid! I'm sure you'll be a great addition!" He smiled. "And then of course, Minato!"

"Um... I..."

"No need to say anything, dear boy! I've heard plenty about you too! It seems you don't exactly share the passion your sister has when it comes to school, am I right? But don't worry, it's no problem, as long as you don't fail the exams. And they say that you've been hanging around Ayame. Quite bold of you, considering her reputation, but just like I thought, you have a heart of gold, don't you?"

"Well..."

"Of course you do! You know, Ayame is a really good girl, she just has a really bad temper, and, well, lots of strength. She gets into lots of fights. But she means well. You might be wondering why she was the one who brought you here. Well, that's because she's my assistant! You see, she spends a lot of time here, because she always gets in trouble. But I know she's not a bad kid, so I made a deal with her: if she helps me out with stuff involving the school, I'll let her go without any trouble. Please, make sure you take good care of her. She really needs a few good friends."

"Uh, yeah... sure."

"Wonderful! Just like I thought, you two truly are wonderful people. And just today I've heard of your victory against the Kendo Team's future captain. It seems you are skilled when it comes to combat, young Minato. I really hope you'll stick with the club and help us out. That aside, I know you were absent from school for about a week due to some accident and even ended up in the hospital. I hope it wasn't something serious."

"Oh, uh, no. Just, y'know, fell off the stairs and such..."

"I'm glad you're okay now. Yes, I can tell that you two are very special, without a doubt. I feel that this will be quite a fun year, with plenty of events!"

_'Man, this guy talks a lot...'_

"Yep, it'll be awesome!" Hamuko cheered.

"Uh, yeah."

"Well then, I'm afraid most of my free time is up. Plus, you two need to go and get back to class. I'll send Ayame after you when I have some free time again. Until then, I wish you two well, and hope you'll have a wonderful school year!"

"Thank you."

* * *

"Wow, that guy sure talk a lot." Minato complained after leaving the office.

"Yeah, but he's really nice."

"I guess. He was kinda weird though. That reminds me, next time I should ask him why Ekoda has it out for me. Oh yeah, would you mind telling me how exactly you tricked everyone into thinking you care about school?"

"Beats me. Maybe cause I'm cute?"

"Yeah, maybe."

* * *

**-After School-**

The bell echoing through the school was like a beautiful symphony for the ears of the tortured souls that are called students. Yes, this never-ending hell called school has actually ended for once, and now they can retreat to the shining heavens known only as 'The Outside World'. That aside, Minato was still happily napping ever after at his desk. This time it even took three shouts to wake him up.

"Hey, Minato!"

"Minato-kun!"

"Onii-chan! Wake up!"

"Gurgle." he responded to their calls. "What's up, docs?"

"Goooooooood morning!"

" 'night." he turned away and started snoring.

"What's up with him that he's always sleepy?" Yukari asked Hamuko.

"Dunno. I think he's not even tired, it's just that he likes sleeping."

* * *

After finally managing to wake up the sleepyhead, Minato and Junpei said their goodbyes to the girls, who were suspiciously eager to do 'girl stuff' apparently. Very worrying actually, especially since it has to do with Hamuko. Who knows what she's got planned.

Regardless, as mankind was still safe for the time being, the two guys made their way to the school gates chatting about this and that. It was surprisingly fun talking with Junpei. He was was more energetic than Minato, but then again, living with his sister made him capable of keeping up with the weirdest of them. Unfortunately, their pleasant stroll was interrupted by the deafening screeches of some girls.

"Look, it's Akihiko-senpai!'

"Wait for us!"

"Have you noticed how popular Akihiko-san is with the ladies? Man take a look at that..." Junpei turned to Minato, but was surprised to see him gone. "Huh, hey, where'd you go, dude?"

"Over here." Minato whispered.

Junpei looked around just in time to see Minato poke his head out of some nearby bushes.

"Huh? What're you doing in there?"

"Sorry, acted on instinct. Have bad experiences when it comes to fangirl screams." he explained, struggling to come out of the plant.

"Whatever you say, man. Either way, now that we have a reason to talk with him, let's not waste any chances! Hey, Senpai!"

"Oh, hey. You guys free this afternoon?"

"Huh, er, us?"

"We got plans to meet up with someone, but we're free after."

"Alright. I want the two of you to meet me at Paulownia Mall. You know where it is, right? I'll be at the police station."

"Th-the police station?" Junpei sounded surprised and disappointed. " You mean, we're not hangin' out with your friends?"

"Who, these girls? I don't even know their names. They talk so much they give me a headache. Anyway, I'm gonna head out. See ya there."

"Aww... Why can't he be more friendly?" one of the Akihiko fans sighed.

"Man, how can he not know their names!? I mean, seriously! Just look at them!"

"Yeah. Either way, let's just go. We don't want to leave Kenji waiting. Plus, I kinda feel we're getting stared at."

* * *

**-Hagakure-**

Ah yeah, nothing in the world beats a good bowl of ramen after a tiring school day. The company wasn't too bad either and the free food just made it better! Uh, it was going to be on Kenji, right?

"...Whew! Now that's what I'm talkin' about! This ramen tastes great, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it's really delicious! I wonder if they have some kinda secret ingredient or something?"

"It's probably some sort of secret spice..."

"Probably. Either way, this thing is simply the best! I'm gonna have another bowl!"

"Wait, seriously? Dude, that's like your fifth bowl!"

"What can I say, sleeping makes me hungry."

"But you didn't sleep as much as you usually do, since we had Classic Lit today."

"Well, not sleeping makes me hungry too."

This managed to get Minato a few chuckles from Kenji, who seemed to be enjoying the conversation.

"...By the way, man, I hear you and Yukari are close. Damn, boy, you move fast! I mean, you just transferred here. I can't blame you though. A man's gotta be aggressive nowadays."

"Yeah, what's up with that? You and Yuka-tan seem to talk a lot in the dorms. You guys got something goin'?"

"Nah, we still hardly know each other. Plus, besides you and my sister, Yukari is the only one I talk to, so it's not a big deal."

"Alright, then what do ya think of her? She's quick to snap at people, but you gotta admit, she is cute."

"Yeah, I guess. Hmm, maybe if I get to know her better, I'll ask her out."

"All right, that's my man!" Junpei high-fived him.

"Cool, I can't wait to see how that goes! Hey, let's hang out after school again sometime. We'll get some food and I'll tell you guys about my secret plan! Wait 'till you hear it. You're gonna flip!"

The noise of the conversation was suddenly silenced by the usual burst of energy and card materialization. Except this time, there were two cards. The first one had the infinity symbol at the top, with a pair of eyes underneath it. Just below that, there was a head whic seemed to have its head burning, the flames similar to hair. At the bottom there were two giant hands.

The other card was quite different. It depicted a man hanging up-side-down from one leg, with his other leg crosses it forming a 4. The background seemed to be divided by thorny circles. The very top of the card was yellow, as well as the area around the mans head. The rest were different shades of greyish-blue.

"Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou has established new bonds... Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Magician and Hanged Man Arcana..."

_'Great. New bonds. Yay.'_

* * *

After finishing their pleasant meal, Minato and Junpei made their way to the police station to meet up with Akihiko. Since he wasn't anywhere to be found, they decided to just go inside the station. It's not like they would get in trouble for just that, right? Right. And even if they did, Minato would have it covered. He has plans.

"Thank you, Sir." Akihiko was talking to a policeman. "Oh, these are the guys I was talking about earlier." he introduced them.

"..."

"This is Officer Kurosawa. He helps keep our squad well-equipped. And, this is from Ikutsuki-san..." Akihiko gave both of them 5,000 yen.

"R-really!? Sweet!"

"You can't fight empty-handed, so find something you like. Officer Kurosawa has connections... But these things still cost money."

"Of course they do. Nothing in life is free."

"I realize that. Well, I'll see you later. Thanks again."

* * *

"I've been informed about you two." Officer Kurosawa started. "My job is to maintain peace in this city, regardless of the circumstances. I'm just an ordinary police officer, but it doesn't take a genius to know something strange is going on here. I'm only doing what I think is right. I don't have that much, but you should be able to find what you need."

Minato and Junpei started looking through the stuff the officer presented them. Luckily, thanks to Mitsuru's advice, Minato brought his gauntlet with him everywhere. After checking into it and reading all the info that was provided, he learned that it can be used for a large variety of things. This includes the scanning of equipment, which he could use right now.

In the end, they didn't buy anything, since they were a little short on cash.

"Sorry, but we need to get a little more rich before buying anything. But we'll be back."

"I'll be waiting. By the way... You look familiar. Have we met before?"

_'Ah, great. That's what happens when a police officer sees me. Can't blow my cover, it'll make things awkward at the dorm.'_

"I don't think so. Not that I know of, at least."

"...Okay. Come again."

* * *

"Pshh, only 5,000 yen..." Junpei didn't seem very pleased with his money. "Damn, I'm in a bad mood now. Let's just go back to the dorm..."

And so they did!

Just before reaching the dorms, Junpei and Minato ran into the two girls, so they went back together.

* * *

Minato was a young man who had plans. Lots of plans. One was to get lots of sleep tonight. But, he wasn't supposed to forget about Tartarus either. They only went in that one time after all. They need to keep going. Luckily, like I said, he's got plans.

As they entered the dorms, Minato happily discovered that both Mitsuru and Akihiko were in the lounge.

"Hey, guys!" he tried to catch everyone's attention. "I'm a little tired today, so I'm gonna go to bed early. Let's all get some nice rest in today, and we'll go to Tartarus tomorrow night, all refreshed."

"Hmm, very well Arisato. That seems like a good plan. Anybody have any objections?"

Silence.

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow we'll continue the expedition of Tartarus. For today, let us all rest."

And Minato didn't need anymore than that, he quickly ran to his room and jumped straight to his bed.

* * *

It was after midnight. The Dark Hour came and went. Everything was peaceful. Minato was sleeping happily. And someone just opened his door.

"Hey, Minato-nii." It was his sister whispering to him.

"Mmm." he mumbled.

"Onii-chan, if you don't pay attention to me, I'm gonna break the window with your chair." she continued whispering.

"Ugh, what is it, Hamuko? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"12 minutes past midnight."

"Exactly. Now go to bed."

"Don't wanna."

"Geez." Minato sighed. "Then what do you want?"

"I wanna go to a nightclub."

"...wait, what?"

"Nightclub. Hamuko wanna go."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Right now?"

"Right now."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...fine."

And that's how the twins ended up on the train on their way to the club Escapade at almost one o'clock at night.

* * *

After a short trip, the twins finally found their way to the nightclub. This obviously wasn't something they should be doing, but what can a guy do when his sister asks him to do something at night. Say no? Yeah, normally a good idea. But that won't work with Hamuko. Minato knows that very well.

"Damn, there's a huge line! We'll never get in!" Hamuko started complaining.

"Never mind that, how are you planning to get in? You are aware of the fact that they won't let some kids in just like that, right?"

"Hah, that's no problem. After I show the bouncer my sexy body, he'll let us right in!"

"Yeah... You know that won't work."

"Well, I still got Plan B!" she smiled, taking out a small wad of cash. "This'll convince him!"

"You gotta be kidding me. You really want to toss away all that money? Ah geez, y'know what, just leave it to me." Minato stated as he grabbed his sisters arm and pulled her all the way to the entrance, pushing the others out of the way.

"Hey, hey, get back in line you two!" the bouncer shouted at them.

"I advise you to watch your tone." Minato threatened him, while taking something out of his pocket. "You have any idea who I am?"

"A kid who shouldn't be here. Now get lost!"

"Makoto Yuki." he stated as he flashed his badge. "I'm a special agent who's workin' on a very serious case right now. We have reasons to believe that some major drug dealers are operating from this club over here. Now get out of the way, or I'll haul your ass in for being an accomplice."

And so they entered.

* * *

"Not a bad idea, Minato-nii! Free entry for us!"

"Yeah, well, I wasn't in the mood to wait so much and then have to deal with the fatso. Just so you know, we're not gonna make a habit of this, got it? Now go and have fun."

Hamuko didn't need to be told twice. She quickly discarded her coat to reveal her chosen sexy dress for the night and went off to dance a few. Minato took a seat at the bar and ordered himself a drink.

* * *

While Hamuko was out having fun, Minato spent most of the time chatting with some guy who kept complaining about having horrible nightmares. They actually seemed really interesting. With a little polishing, they could make a game out of it.

After finishing her dancing time, Hamuko returned to her brothers side surrounded by a few guys who were all offering to buy her drinks. Needless to say, she accepted all of them.

"Alright! How 'bout a drinkin' game?!" she sounded drunk already. "We keep drinkin' till we drop! Last guy, woman, person, people, livin' bein' left sittin' wins!And the drink're free for'em! If youse wins, I might even throw in an extra little prize, y'know what I mean?"she laughed.

Needless to say, everyone was in. Bad choice.

* * *

And, after the last guy fell under the table, Hamuko finished her drink and went to find her brother. He was also occupied while Hamuko scammed those guys for free drinks. After he won a few bets and got a few girls phone numbers, he was seemingly having a good time.

"Heeya, broder! Rady to goes?"

"Well, you certainly look chipper. You're gonna feel like crap tomorrow though."

"Whatza talkin' bout? I'mma feel aweshume! I'm gonna flyyyyyyyy!"

"Yeah, yeah. C'mon, let's go home. It's already past three. We have school tomorrow."

"Minacho! Shanks fer bringin' me hee! I had a greet time! I luv ya!"

"Yeah. Glad you'e happy. Let's go. Mitsuru's gonna have our heads if she finds out we were out."

"I luv yaaaa!"

This might have not been the best way to spend the night before a school day, especially when you plan on going to a deadly tower filled with monsters on the same day, but, what can you do?

"I luuuuv yaaaaa!"

"Yeah. I know."

And then they went home.


	7. The other SEES

**-Wednesday, April 22, 2009-**

******-Iwatodai Dormitory**-

It was a beautiful early morning when the female half of our favorite twin pair woke up feeling like she was hit on the head by a radioactive garbage truck on fire with rabies. Yeah, the fun lasts through the night, but hangovers the next morning are never a good time. As she dizzily and sleepily checked her clock, she was happy to see that it was still only 6 o'clock. That means she still has a good hour left to sleep. That would make this night's sleeping hours reach a full 3 hours! Not bad!

Feeling a little weak, she pulled the covers back on her, closed her eyes and snuggled with her life-size Minato plushie. Feeling the nice warmth of its body, she smiled and fell once again into the arms of the wonderful mistress known as Sleep.

* * *

Wait a sec. Something was not quite right here. Let's see. Hangover, check. Comfiness, check. Warmth, check. Sleepiness, check. Life-sized Minato plushie, check.

Hold on! Since when does she have a Minato plushie?

"..."

Yeah. She doesn't.

"..."

Getting a little nervous now, mostly due to her mind being still screwed over by the alcohol from last night, Hamuko opened her eyes to check what she was hugging so tightly next to her body.

"Hmm?"

Well, it was a Minato alright. But it sure wasn't a plushie! Just to make sure, Hamuko poked its forehead a good twenty or so times.

"Ow, ow, ow,ow,ow... Stop it!" her brother finally slapped her hand away.

"Huh...?" Hamuko finally comprehended what was happening. "AGH!" she shouted as she literally kicked her brother off the bed, forcing him to fall face first to the ground.

"Ow."

"W-w-what're you doing here?" Hamuko asked in a surprisingly shy and embarrassed manner.

"What do you think? I slept with you this night."

"Wha-? B-but why? Y-you have your own room, y'know?!"

Yeah, the alcohol unlocked that part of her again.

"What're you talking about? You come in to my room and sleep in my bed all the time."

"But... that's not my fault, y'know..."

"Huh? Hey, wait a sec, are you..."

"We...!" she interrupted him. "We d-didn't...d-do IT...d-did we...?"

"What the hell?! Of course not! What're you thinking?!" Minato let his voice get a little too loud this time.

"Oh. Thank goodness." she sighed in relief. "If we're gonna do it, I want to make sure I'll remember it..." she whispered as quietly as she could, probably not even meaning to say it out loud.

"Huh? What was that?"

"Oh, nothing! I..." she suddenly stopped and went really pale. "Actually, I feel kinda sick. I think I'm gonna...throw up..."

"Geez. Okay, go to the bathroom, do your stuff and then get ready for school. I'll be waiting for you downstairs. Let's just make sure no one catches us."

And so, another ordinary day has started...

* * *

**-Gekkoukan High School-**

School this day was a lot better than yesterday. Since they had no Ekoda class, Minato could sleep to his hearts content. Hamuko on the other hand had a pretty bad time. Still a little dizzy and very tired, she really struggled to keep herself awake. It's not like she really cared about what was going on, but if she wanted her special plan to be successful, she had to make sure the teachers would love her. That meant no sleeping, no joking around, studying and paying attention. Honestly, she was starting to regret it quite a lot.

* * *

**-After School-**

"Ugh..." Hamuko sighed as the teacher finally left the classroom.

"What's wrong, feeling the effect of last night's little 'Escapade'?"

Oh yeah! Arisato Minato, Pun Master 9000!

"Bleh... Shut up. I feel like I was mauled by a Shadow before being reincarnated as a fly and then squashed in order to make that oddly tasting jelly we bought through Tanaka's Amazing Commodities."

"I told you it was a bad idea. Both the club and the jam."

"I think I need to get a drink."

"Here." Minato handed her a bottle of Aguafeena.

"Whaaaaaa? I want some Mad Bull." she pouted.

"Yeah. If you drink that after everything you put your body through last night, you'll die for sure. Now drink the water, go home and get some sleep. We need to fight monsters tonight."

"Ugh. I'd love to, but I have to go and try to get into the Tennis Club. A girl needs a club after all, and today's the last day."

"Okay. I got Kendo today, so don't be waiting for me."

"Augh, I hate being a good student! How the hell did you manage to do this for so many years?"

"Well, a couple of old coots breathing down your neck all the time, ready to unleash heavenly punishment on you for any mistake motivated me plenty. Man, it's great to be free."

"I hate you right now..."

"Hehehe." Minato smiled and took a can of Mad Bull out of his bag, taunting his sister. "Revenge sure is sweet." He opened it and took a sip. "And very caffeinated. This thing is horrible."

* * *

And so, while Hamuko was suffering, Minato enjoyed some Kendo time. Sure, he doesn't like doing anything normally, but knowing that his sister finally gets to feel his pain sure brightened his mood. Plus, this was good exercise for the upcoming Tartarus exploration.

Having to continuously fight with Kazushi was pretty tiring though. The guy sure wanted to get his victory, but Minato kept on denying him all the time. Still, you have to admit, he has fighting spirit. Damn, he really needs to get a Persona.

"M-my side is killing me..."

_'Well, he said he wanted me to use my special training method.'_

"You've got quite a strong spirit, but that's still not enough! If you want to be strong and win, you need to quit complaining and toughen up!"

"Toughen up, eh?" Kazushi, for whatever reason, grinned. "Hmph... Alright! How 'bout you? You okay? You've been workin' pretty hard... You don't even look tired... Just what kind of training did you do?"

"This is nothing. The training I went through was the same kind warriors of the olden ages practiced."

"Master... You're crazy."

_'Trust me, I didn't do it because I wanted to. And what's with the Master?'_

"Th-this sucks... You destroyed me... I knew the Bay Area competition would be tough, but I never expected to be going up against someone like you..." he then went silent for a moment. "...I've made up my mind! Minato! One day, I'm gonna beat you! From now on, we're rivals!"

_'Wha-? How the hell did I end up with a rival all of a sudden?! Can I please have a normal day for once?'_

Suddenly, once again, Minato felt a mysterious energy bursting through his body. The voice called out to him like before.

"Thou art I... And I am thou... Though shalt have our blessings when though choosest to create a Persona of the Chariot Arcana..."

_'Um...Okay. So, did I just advance my Social Link or something like that? And what exactly does he mean by "create a Persona"? And why art thou talking liketh this?'_

"Sorry..." Kazushi interrupted his thoughts. "I shouldn't get so worked up over it. Let's get go-ugh?!" he suddenly twitched in pain.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"...My knee... I think I twisted it... Sorry, never mind. Let's go."

"Alright. Just make sure you take care of yourself. Getting yourself injured and neglecting your health won't help you on your quest to become a champion."

"Y-yeah, got it. But man, you sure talk weird sometimes."

"Yeah. I know."

* * *

******-Iwatodai Dormitory**-

After our young blue-haired hero got back to his new home, he didn't do too much. A little lounging in the lounge, napping in the lounge, resting in the lounge and relaxing in the lounge later, he went to check on his sister, who apparently went straight to bed and has been there ever since.

"Knock, knock." he joked as he opened the door. "Hamuko, you asleep?"

No answer meant yes.

"Good. Sleep well, you little idiot." he smiled.

Happy that he finally got his 'explore-sister's-room-free' card, he didn't waste any time. It was exploring time!

Her closet was, as expected, full of clothes. School uniforms, some casual wear, some more formal clothes. And then there was the more 'special' part of her wardrobe, which included maid outfits, bunny girl outfits, a police woman outfit with cuffs and all, some... leather stuff that you probably don't want to know about and other things that most likely shouldn't be in a high school girls closet. Moving on...

Under the bed was her manga collection, quite an impressive one actually. Although Minato pretty much knew her tastes, he still decided to check one out.

"Hmm... Black and White's Love Box..." he said, flipping through the pages, feeling his sanity being literally drained away with every new page . "I... I really can't believe they publish things like this."

He put it back and then went to his room to lie down for a while. The horror...

* * *

And so, day turned to night and the Dark Hour came. The group gathered in front of the school just moments before it mutated into the terrifying tower.

"Huh, it's still really cool how it just transforms like that."

"Yeah. Alright guys. Today, we're gonna try and go as high as we can. We need to see what this place is all about. It'll be tough without a doubt, so if any of you get tired during the exploration, tell us so we know. And nobody play hero. This is serious business. If we screw up, we will die. Keep that in mind." Minato calmly explained.

Agreeing with their leader's words, the Persona users entered Tartarus ready to face the spooks of the night.

* * *

**-Tartarus-**

**-Dark Hour-**

The tower was the same as the other day, just as awesome and eerie as always. After Mitsuru set up her equipment and gave the team their weapons, they were ready to go. Still, things obviously weren't gonna go that smoothly.

"Well, well. Looks like you guys finally made it! We've been waiting for you." a voice suddenly spoke from somewhere.

The door at the top of the stairs opened up and 4 cloaked figures walked into the room, making their way down towards them.

"Sorry for the late welcome, but y'know, better late then never. Quite a charming night, huh?" the figure in front, the tallest of the group, spoke casually.

Needless to say, Minato and his team were taken aback a little.

"You guys seem a little off." the figure continued. "Weren't expecting to see anyone else here, huh? I guess that's not too surprising. I'm actually more surprised we didn't end up meeting sooner. Then again, this is your first time here, huh? Oops, sorry, second time I mean. Still, it's quite interesting, the way everything works. All of you had the potential to come here before, yet you only find your way here now. Some of you even had the chance, yet chose to stay away till now. It's like everything changed when you came back here, huh, Minato? Hamuko?"

"Wha-?"

"You're a little surprised, aren't you? Yeah, I know about you two. I know about all of you actually. Sanada Akihiko, Iori Junpei, Kirijo Mitsuru..." he stopped for a moment. "And of course Takeba Yukari, Arisato Hamuko and Arisato Minato. The six of you have awakened your Persona's, some of you recently, some of you beforehand. Still, regardless of that, you are all still at a very low level. Make sure you don't push yourselves too far."

"You..." Mitsuru finally broke the groups silence. "Who exactly are you? You don't seem to be a Shadow. Are you a Persona user?"

"Bing bing bing! We have a winner, ladies and gentlepeople!" he made a few exaggerated gestures. "Or maybe not. We could be one, we could be the other, we could be both, but none at the same time! We are what we are. Take that for whatever you want." he kept saying in a joking voice, before suddenly turning serious. "If anything, I want you to know that we're not your enemies. We're not here to fight, or hurt you, so you can calm down. We're just here to talk."

"If you want to talk, then we'd appreciate if you'd at least have the courtesy of showing us your face." Minato called out to him.

"Hehehe." he chuckled. "Very well! I guess that wouldn't hurt too much."

And then he began his, uh, transformation sequence/badass face reveal thingy.

He extended his hands towards the group before pulling them back into his cloak. He then tried to pull his zipper down from the inside, but kinda failed, as he suddenly started flailing around.

"Uh...ah...ergh..." he groaned as he kept on struggling. "Damn zipper. I hate you. Why now, why not during rehearsals?"

Well, what's there to say? Everyone's reaction to this... 'interesting' display was different. While Hamuko, Junpei and Minato were quite amused by this, Yukari, Mitsuru and Akihiko were just thinking the guy's an idiot.

"Umm... My zipper is stuck..." he finally seemed to give up. "Guys... I believe I require some assistance. I do believe that I may need some help over here."

Two of his associates quickly moved in to help him, while the other stood behind. After the zipper problem was resolved, the other one merely went up to him and kicked him in the shin.

"Ow! Ow! Hey! What? Why?!" he cried out.

"What do you think, you idiot?!" a female voice responded. "I told you, we need to be serious and get right to the point! This is no game, there are lives at stake and we need to get stuff done! And after all your annoyingly loud monologues and rehearsing, you do this! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

_'It's like and angry mom lecturing her annoying kid. What a group of clowns. Wonder if they come to parties?'_

"Okay, okay, geez." the guy apologized, whilst pulling down his hood. "Man, kids these days are so aggressive. And they don't have a sense of humor anymore. Back in my days, this show would've gotten me an acting prize."

The guy was surprisingly handsome. He seemed to be in his mid to late thirties and of foreign descent. His hair was slightly on the longer side and of a palish blonde color, messy, but the kind of messy that takes half an hour off your mornings. His eyes were light blue and had a childish innocence to them.

"Well, that was a fail. Guess we'll stick to this much for now." he sighed.

"Okay, um..." Minato tried to communicate with the weirdo. "Who exactly are you guys in the end?"

"Yeah, I guess that's next, huh?" he turned to them. "We're the Shadow Elimination Elite Squad. Also known as S.E.E.S."

_'What?! S.E.E.S.? What the hell's going on here? We're supposed to be S.E.E.S.. Just who the fuck are these guys?'_

The team's reaction to this was quite visible, which seemed to amuse the mysterious man.

"Hehehe. I thought you'd react like that. But just so you know, the name was ours first. The acronym at least. But it's okay, we'll share, so don't worry." he smiled. "As you can tell by our name, we have the same goal as you guys: Eliminate all Shadows from our world. Needless to say, this is an almost impossible task. But we believe the secrets are hidden inside of this here tower. It is the main cause of the recent Shadow infestation. We've been working on alternate solutions as well, though we still aren't very successful. Mainly, it's because we've been having some slight 'inconveniences' in these last 10 years or so..."

_'Ten years... Shadow elimination... RECENT Shadow infestation... This guy... He knows a lot about what's happening. We need to find out who he is."_

"Having very few members doesn't help either. And of course, the biggest problem of them all..." he looked at Minato with a grim expression. "We don't have a Wild Card anymore..."

This caught Minato's attention. An interesting term. Although he didn't know what it was, he still felt that it was familiar.

"What do you mean by 'Wild Card'?"

"You'll find out eventually. Either way, I've told you guys more than enough for now. Need to keep the secrets, otherwise I'll lose my bargaining tool..."

"Bargaining tool?"

"Well, guess that's a good term for it at least. Or maybe not." he scratched his head. "Listen. I wanna make a deal with you. A certain 'partnership', if you wanna call it that."

This was getting interesting.

"We'll need help if we wanna get rid of the bad guys. And that's where you come in. At the moment, the bigger spooks in here are so greatly superior in power, that they wouldn't even want to mop the floor with you. That's what you need to change. I want you guys to get stronger, and when you're ready, to take some 'tests'."

Okay, what the hell is this guy babbling about?

"We don't follow you."

"We have certain opponents for you guys to fight. Big, strong Shadows. If you beat them, you'll prove that you've become stronger. In return, I'll give you guys the thing you most need."

"And what's that?"

"Information." he grinned. "I know that which you wish to know. That should be motivation enough. Trust me, I know things that could change your entire perception on this situation. Normally, I would tell you everything right now, with the utmost pleasure, but things are really not good at the moment. I need to put you guys through a lot if I want everything to go well. I can't make the same mistakes as last time. If I do, this world will forfeit. And you guys take this seriously as well. I'm warning you, cause the Shadows aren't kidding around, especially not this time. If you mess up, you will die."

"..." the group's silence was heavy. This most certainly was not a good way to start a Tartarus exploration. This is all just too confusing for them to take in at once.

"Well, do you agree? We have deal?"

They stood motionless for a while.

"...Deal." Minato finally answered, slightly shocking the rest of his group.

"Excellent!" he clapped his hands with a goofy smile on his face. "Now then, to celebrate our little alliance, I've brought some candy for all of us!" he took a bag out from under his cloak and tossed it to Minato. "That's your share. Don't eat it at once!"

"Wha-?"

"Now then, let me give you guys your first 'test' right now. You should be at a level to take this little guy down." he pointed at the doors at the top of the stairs.

Almost instantly, a giant stag beetle-like Shadow burst through and charged towards them. The man only stood there smiling.

"Do your best." he stepped to the right, out of the Shadow's way, which zoomed past and attacked, almost crushing Minato with its mandibles. If he didn't duck at the last second, there would only be a half Minato left.

"Whoa! Geez, that escalated quickly! Guys, get out of its way!" he quickly tried to order the others, who didn't need to be told twice.

_'Darn it, this is not good! This thing is too big for us to just rush in blindly, we need info!'_

"Everyone, stay away from it! Be on the defensive! Senpai, try to analyze it!"

"Roger."

It was a good plan, except it had one huge flaw: the Shadow wasn't going to just sit idly while that happens. The first thing it did was rush towards Mitsuru and try to maul her. Luckily the young heiress was sensible enough to dodge it, but her equipment went flying all over the place. Akihiko, who was right next to her when it attacked, also managed to get out of the way in time, though his injury was doing him no favors.

_'Damn. This thing isn't stupid. We don't know anything about it, and having Akihiko here is crippling us.'_

"Akihiko-senpai, get out of here before you get hurt!" Minato pointed to the exit.

"What? No, I..."

"You're in no condition to fight! Now go!"

Although obviously displeased, the young boxer found it best to listen to his words and quickly ran to safety.

"Okay, Mitsuru-senpai, we'll need your help here!"

"Yes, of course!"

"Alright guys, you all know each others powers and abilities, right?"

"...uh..." everyone other than Mitsuru looked puzzled.

"Um, the gauntlets? They are connected, so we can view each other's info and such on it. Y'know, abilities?"

"Uh..."

"Did you guys really not check it out at all?"

"Well..."

_'I'm surrounded by idiots...'_

"Okay. Mitsuru-senpai has ice abilities, Junpei has fire and physical. Yukari hasn't used her Persona yet, so she's blank. Hamuko is blessed with ice, dark and physical, and I with fire, light and physical. Senpai is at level 12, Junpei is at level 3, Yukari at 2, Hamuko at 5 and me at 6. That's what's important right now, got it?"

"Yeah!"

Once again, our little bug friend tried to catch one of them, but failed.

"It's slow, but it most likely is really strong. And it doesn't seem like it can use magic. Alright, let's see what works! Senpai, Hamuko, try your ice attacks! Go for its feet! If we stop it from moving, we should have an easier time!"

The two girls wasted no time and brought their evokers to their heads, closed their eyes and shot away.

"Persona!"

The two giant female Personas appeared behind their respective masters and unleashed their Bufu spells at the charging beast. It seems this was their lucky Dark Hour, as the creature was not only damaged, but also had its legs frozen. Ok, phase one was complete. Now on to the next part!

"Yukari! It's your turn! Let's see what you can do!"

"Um... o-okay..." she sounded unsure of herself.

Slowly, she lifted her evoker to her forehead, but, just like before, just couldn't manage to pull the trigger.

"I... I just can't..." she lowered the gun-like object, tears filling her eyes.

_'Ugh, great. Um, there there, don't cry?'_

"Junpei, make sure the little insect doesn't do anything to bug us." Minato pun-ordered as he made his way towards Yukari. Reaching the weeping girl, he surprised mostly everyone as he hugged her.

"...huh? U-um..."

"Hey, don't worry about it." he talked in a soothing voice. "Just calm down. Take a deep breath. And don't worry, nothing's gonna happen. We're all here for you. So no worries, 'kay?" he smiled and patted her head.

"...yeah." she also smiled, feeling a little better.

Yeah, Minato was good at calming people. One of the many skills he acquired during his training days, though it also seemed to be a natural ability.

"Okay now, you can do it. I've got your back. Close your eyes, relax... and pull the trigger." Minato guided her as he took a sly peak at what was happening with the Shadow. Yeah, Hamuko and Mitsuru were keeping it frozen, while Junpei was whacking away at it, failing to realize that physical attacks didn't seem to harm it.

Yukari, now finally capable of doing it, even if with Minato's help, pulled her evoker's trigger and unleashed her Persona.

"Io." she muttered, as it materialized behind her. An oddly beautiful woman with completely black skin and long wavy blond hair, sitting on a giant floating chair the shape of a bull's head. She was apparently chained to its horns, and her clothes were of a pink color, much like Yukari's sweater. She extended both her hands towards the beetle Shadow. "Garu." And with that, a small cyclone of, curiously, green wind erupted from under the monster, seemingly cutting at it, before it was launched into the air and fell on its back. It was struggling to get back up, but to no avail.

_'Nice! Wind, huh? We needed one of those!'_

"Great job!" Minato congratulated her. "I knew you could do it! Alright, let's hope this thing can't take the heat! Junpei! You, me, Agi!"

"Alright! Finally, it's my time to shine!"

And so they did. The combined Agi blast of Hermes and Orpheus literally scorched the entirety of the Shadow. As it was reduced to ashes, which for whatever reason then also happened to melt away somehow. The group celebrated their little victory and Akihiko came back in. The clapping of a certain individual caught their attention though.

"Bravo! Bravo! Good job and congratulations, my young friends! You did a much better job than I expected you to! You all worked together and found the correct strategy to combat you superior opponent. I am honestly very impressed." he kept praising them. "This Shadow was of the level 13, stronger than any of you. Good job at defeating it. Now then, as promised, I shall reward you with your first prize." he snapped his fingers, to which his three associates each placed a small silver briefcase down before them. "In these cases, there are important documents, or maybe other things, that are of interest to you. Maybe not all of you, but you can be sure that they all hold great importance." his smile seemed a little more unnerving than before. "Now choose one..."


	8. The Burden and the Devil

_Sunday, April 2, 1989_

_I don't even know why I'm doing this, I mean, c'mon, I'm already a 17, soon to be 18, year old young, handsome and incredibly charming guy. But hey, call me crazy if you want for starting this journal, I won't mind, people tell me it all the time._

_Either way! I have important things to write, so don't laugh, readers, or you shall feel my wrath(And by that I mean I will feel sad, but whatever)!_

_It's been a good 4 months since people have been going 'bye-bye' for no specific reason, and, not to say that the police around here couldn't tell the difference between their guns and a banana split sandwich with some fries and cheese on top, but they really can't. And now, childishly or not, I think I have to do something myself, otherwise this town is doomed._

_So far, I haven't found anything connecting the victims to one another. There just doesn't seem to be a fix pattern! This month, we have:_

_Jun Watanabe, age 23, Male, College Student_

_Miki Shirosaki, age 6, Female, First Grade Student_

_Ryuji Yamamoto, age 72, Male, Retired Old Skeleton_

_I could go on, but even a deaf person could see that there really isn't anything connecting these people._

_Now, what I will theorize right now will probably seem ludicrous to everyone, but I see no other explanation. I believe, that supernatural forces are being played with around here. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a science type guy if there ever was one, but it does make sense if you really think about it. There is no way so many people can go missing just like that. No logical way, that is. The problem here, as with everything in our lives, is that we keep on trying to rely on logic, and immediately close off anything that seems impossible. But just think: what was magic, sorcery, truly unbelievable in the past is now existent in the present through science. What if this is something like that, that we just can't understand because in our stubbornness, we reject the concept completely?! It's possible, oh, it is so possible that it is crazy! As a scientist, I need to look into this further. In need to stop this no matter what. If I can learn the key to whatever is causing this, I should be able to find a 'cure' as well. Either that, or I'm a goner as well._

_Regardless, playing hero and important scientist aside, I'm still a second year high school student, and school starts tomorrow. I think I'll spend the morning trying to score with Eiko! She's been ignoring me, punching me and yelling at me for years now, but I just know she has a thing for me! I can tell these things, I understand them! Oh, but Ai-chan is a cutie as well. Hmm, then again, they are sisters. But if I tried to make a move on her, Ichi would tie a rock to me and throw me into the sea! And I wish I were kidding, but he really would do it! Just like he did to those bikers last month! O.O_

_Well, life goes on, I guess. Wish me luck with investigation! And school! And scoring with girls! Until next time, have fun!_

_Shin_

"...that's what it says." Minato finished reading the journal page they received in the right suitcase they chose. There were also some other little gems and gear inside, but this was what really caught their attention.

"Hmm, I remember reading about this incident. The newspapers called it 'The Year of Terror'. All in all around 130 people went missing. No bodies were ever found. I suspect it had to do with Shadows, except they seem to have been more aggressive in the past. Instead of just feeding on their minds, they probably consumed their entire being." Mitsuru theorized.

"That's horrible..." Hamuko shivered.

"This is from twenty years ago. I also know about that incident. It was called 'The Year of Terror' because the disappearances suddenly stopped after about a year. I wonder, could this Shin person have found out about the Shadows? Is it possible that he was the one that stopped them, that he himself awakened a Persona?" Minato asked more himself than his teammates.

"I dunno, this is all kinda confusing. This doesn't really help us, it just deepened the mystery." Yukari stated.

"Yeah." Minato nodded. "Well, there's no reason for us to keep on fretting about this for now. We have a lot to discuss, but it's late and we have school tomorrow. We should all go to sleep for now, and get things sorted out on Sunday, when we have the time and energy."

Agreeing with the leader's wise decision, the team went to bed, ready to face another great threat, school, the following day.

* * *

"Onii-chan." Hamuko entered her brothers room after the others went to sleep. "That journal page..."

"Yeah, I know..." Minato said, lifting his prized ring in the air, out the window, letting the moonlight shine on the gem. "Eiko... Ai-chan... Ichi... It could be them that he was talking about. There's... a very high chance." he looked towards her sister. "We're on the right track! If we follow this lead, we can find out the truth. We can finally find out why it happened. And if they also had our power. The key is this Shin guy, and the other S.E.E.S. group. It's even possible that he's one of the members, maybe even the leader! He is old enough to be him!" Minato started talking a little too loudly. "We can do this, Hamuko! We can find the truth!"

"Y-yeah." his sister was a little taken aback by her brothers attitude. Minato would occasionally get like this when the incident is brought up. Over the years, he's developed a worrying obsession with the case. This was a heavy burden, constantly hurting Minato. "Don't worry, Minato-nii. We'll do it."

"Yes. We will. We have too!"

" O-ok! Goodnight then! Sleep well!"

"Yeah. You too."

* * *

**-Thursday, April 23, 2009-**

**-Gekkoukan High School-**

And after all of yesterday night's excitement, here we were again, at the most boring place on earth. Getting stalked by Ekoda for Minato, trying to stay awake and enjoy the lecture for Hamuko, then Tennis Club for the female twin and Kendo Club for the male twin. Yeah, where are the Shadows? We need some Shadows right here! Please?

* * *

**-After School-**

It was no better after all clubs and school either. Due to his not so hard victories over everyone else at the Kendo Club, Minato has now become the Akihiko-senpai of the second years. A fate that is a dream for all men, save Minato. For him, it was his personal Hell, a Hell he thought he would be safe from after he moved here. Damn you, Hamuko!

As he was already being stalked by some girls from different classes (Yay, more stalkers! Wasn't Ekoda enough, dammit?!), Minato decided to make his way towards a safe haven. Going out the main entrance wasn't possible though, some girls already there! Damn! Making use of his lightning-quick reflexes, Minato made his way towards a tree at a more hidden location and hid behind it.

"Um, Minato? What exactly are you doing over there?" a familiar voice called down to him all of a sudden from somewhere in the tree. Looking up, he found the source: Ayame was happily standing on one of the branches. And,um, yeah. If you can't guess what Minato saw looking up at a skirt-wearing girl standing on a tree, then you have a pure mind.

_'Hmm. Black. I suspected gray, to match her hair.'_

Y'know, a guy looking up a girls skirt isn't really hard to spot. Especially when the person whose skirt your looking up at is staring down at you.

"Oh my..." Ayame started. "Minato, what exactly are you staring at?" she asked, as she jumped down towards the ground, and very nearly stomping on Minato.

"Woah, hey, watch out!"

"Calm down, it's not like I actually jumped on you. Now then, can you tell me what exactly were you doing a few seconds ago?" she grabbed him by the collar and brought him in close to her face. " I do believe you were looking up my skirt, right? You are aware that I would've already killed most people by now, had they done that."

"It was an accident, and it wasn't really my fault. You were the one in the tree. What were you doing there anyway?"

"I like climbing trees."

"That's all?"

"Yeah. What about you, why were you ducking behind my tree?" she let him go.

" Ugh, well..."

"I think I saw him this way!" a girls scream interrupted him and forced him back behind the tree.

"Oh, I see now. You've become quite popular, huh, Mr. Kendo-Master."

"Help me, please."

"Hmm." she thought for a second. "Ok. Hey, girls!" she called them over, causing them slight unease and mild terror. "You guys're lookin' for Minato, right? I heard him say he was gonna go to the Beef Bowl joint with Akihiko."

And thus, the greatest fangirl scream the school has ever known went off that afternoon, followed by the stampede of said fangirls towards the Beef Bowl place.

"There, that should keep you safe for today."

"Thank you! Thank you very much." Minato sighed in relief. "Well, I better get home soon! Later!" he took off, but Ayame was quick to grab him and pull him back.

"Not so fast Mr. Hide-behind-a-tree-peek-up-a-girls-skirt-get-bailed-out-by-said-girl-then-run-away! You owe me one, and I want something in return right now!"

_'I am deeply terrified...'_

"Dont'cha worry, I ain't gonna eat you alive! Speaking of which, I am quite hungry! How 'bout a free meal for yer thanks?" she smiled while headlocking him. "C'mon, it's a bonus for you anyway! Food and a date with a cute girl! Why not?"

"Okay, okay, I give! Let's just go!"

_'I need to stay far away from girls, starting right now.'_

"Meh, it's boring if it's just like this! Invite me formally! Ask me out! C'mon!" she started giving him a noogie.

_'Ow, ow, ow, why? Invite? What's going on? Ow!'_

"Okay, okay, just let me go already!" and so she did.

Minato took a second to fix is hair and clothes before pulling the humiliating stunt he was forced to do.

"Ayame, will you go out on a date with me?" he blushed ever so slightly.

"Hahaha!" she laughed. "Geez, I can't believe you actually did that! That's just too funny!" she kept laughing. "I like how you even got all embarrassed and all! Ah, yeah, sure, let's go! I wanna eat!"

_'Torture, your new name is Ayame...'_

And so they left...

* * *

**-Chagall Cafe-**

As if being forced into asking a girl out isn't enough, now he was here. Chagall cafe had great stuff and all, but... maid uniforms. That is all. Yeah, Chagall Cafe was a Maid cafe. The kinda place that is Hamuko's hangout, not Minato's. Now don't get things wrong, Minato loves maids and maid uniforms as much as the next pervert, but going into public places like this isn't his style. He prefers to be in a quiet, seclude location, and carefully examine the fabric and how the clothes beauty mixes together with the girls nice... wait, what?! No! That's not something that should be said here! No! Bad! Just... forget what you read in that last sentence. Long story short, maid cafes aren't Minato's thing, okay?!

"Um... why exactly are we here, Ayame...san?"

"Drop the san bit, were going out after all! We came here because these guys have the best coffee in the entire city, and the best sandwiches as well. Hope ya have a packed wallet, the place's pretty expensive!"

_'Oh my. What have I gotten into?'_

"Hello, welcome to Chaggal Cafe!" a maid finally greeted them. Beautiful maid outfit, black hair in pigtails, perfect breasts, charming face. Yeah, a true looking maid all right. "May I... Oh, Ayame-chan, I wasn't expecting to see you today!" she took a look at Minato. "You on a date or something?"

"Yup, this guy just asked me out! Couldn't say no, now could I? I mean, just look at him, he's quite a cute catch, huh?" she patted him on the back.

"Oh, well, I'm really happy for you! I just got a new boyfriend as well! Hey, if things go well, how about we go on a double date later on?"

"Sounds like fun, I'm sure Minato would be thrilled, right?" she smiled at him, slightly menacingly.

"Y-yeah, sure, I'd love that."

_'I have a feeling that if I say anything that goes against her will, Persona or no Persona, I'm really dead meat.'_

"Alright, then it's settled! Oh, by the way, her name's Sara. We'll have what I usually have."

"Okie-dokie, I'm on it!"

And so she went to fetch the orders.

* * *

After a delicious lunch, some surprisingly fun time with Ayame, and some awkward couple/double date talking with Sara later, Minato and Ayame left the maid cafe, with Minato's wallet being a lot lighter.

"Ah, yeah!" Ayame stretched her body. "That was great! I had a lot of fun! Thanks for the great time, I'm glad you asked me out!" she smiled.

"Yeah, no problem..."

_'Though you pretty much threatened me into it.'_

"Well, I have to go home now, have stuff to do. But we'll meet again tomorrow, be sure of that! You're my boyfriend now, after all!"

"Yeah... Wait, what? I thought this was just a o..."

"Yeah, nope! You and me are going out now! So be a good boyfriend, or else!"

She then quickly moved in and gave him a swift kiss on the cheek.

"Be careful, Minato. This place is pretty dangerous. Don't let the darkness swallow you." she smiled a sincere smile. "Welp, see you tomorrow!"

And with that she took off.

_'Damn you and your making all this suffering worth it.'_

He then smiled to himself, feeling unusually pleased. At that exact moment, a voice rang in his head. The card that materialized before him had a giant red heart on over half the card, with a giant black goat skull in it. Above the skull was an upside-down pentagram. Under the heart, on both sides, was a figure: on the left a black male devil and on the right a black female devil.

"Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou has established a new bond... Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Devil Arcana…"

"Yeah, she really is a little devil, you got that much right, disembodied voice."

Still, he couldn't help but smile again.

"Yeah, a devil..."


	9. Her Side A: Hako

That journal entry that they got in the metal suitcase... it was very troubling and confusing. Although it did positively prove that Shadows have been lurking around the city long before the Dark Hour came into existence, it still didn't help them any. They already knew that much after all. Still, the info did have a greater meaning for Hamuko and her brother than to the others. 20 years ago... this city, Shadow and mass disappearances. 10 years ago... the Moonlight Bridge incident. And now... a Shadow infestation. There has to be a connection between the three. The key here was the other S.E.E.S. group they encountered. They had this journal page, and they surely have a lot of other documents and info. But since they didn't seem to want to just give them it for free, they most likely will have to take their 'tests' for them, at least for now.

Above all, Hamuko was worried about Minato. They may be twins, but their personalities are quite different to say the least. After their parents disappeared, they were taken in by their relatives, their grandfather from their father's side to be more specific, though all members of the family helped taking care of them. Hamuko accepted the family's love and care, but Minato... he locked his heart away from them. He was too greatly affected by the death of their parents. His sister, she was the only one to ever get through to him. She was his only true family left. And that's why this incident gets to him so much. He feels like he needs to solve it, to find out the truth, hoping that their parents, their mom and dad are still alive somewhere.

And just as she expected, Minato got really worked up about everything when she visited him after the others were asleep. He's hurting, and she's the only one he feels he can turn to. Yes, she needs to help him, no matter what. Together they'll find the truth and maybe then, Minato will finally be at peace. She will save him from everything, because she loves him more than anything in the world. More than anything...

* * *

**-Thursday, April 23, 2009-**

**-Gekkoukan High School-**

And another school day. Why does school have to be so soul-crushingly boring? Was it really worth it to be good at school? I mean, advantages of being liked by the teachers are a 'yeah!', but staying awake in class was next to impossible. No good, no good!

_'I swear, this guy just doesn't stop talking! Who cares about what happened now a thousand years ago?! I don't caaaaaaaaaaare!'_

Yeah, this day is boring...

* * *

**-After School-**

Finally, after hours of torture, the bell of freedom rings! It was a great day, cause she had Tennis today! Now, normally, she would consider things like this a chore, but she was quite enjoying herself in this particular club. And that's all thanks to a certain 'sports dictator' as she heard the others call her. Yeah, she may expect a lot from people, but that was just because she was too ambitious! But that was okay for her, Hamuko likes that type. Iwasaki Rio was her name, captain of their little Tennis team. Long black hair tied in a ponytail, gray eyes, slightly pale skin... she was a beauty if there ever was one. Hamuko was quite interested in her. They were getting along quite well too. There was something about her... she was like her brother, at least partially. They had a few things in common, that was probably what caught Hamuko's attention.

The thing about Hamuko is, well, um... she likes guys, but she also likes girls in the exact same way, if you understand that? Yeah, so now, Rio was Hamuko's prey. It was still a question whether or not she would swing that way, but ya hafta try, dont'cha?

Unfortunately, there was no Tennis practice in the end. The others didn't even show up, and apparently Rio had something urgent come up and she had to skip, so... yeah... awkward. Time to go home!

* * *

**-Iwatodai Dormitory-**

Nothing, and I do mean nothing, beats the happiness of arriving home after a hard day of school. There wasn't anyone in the entire building it seemed, most likely hanging out or clubbing back at school. That means, she has the entire dorm to herself for a good 2 hours or so! Oh, the possibilities! What should she do, what should she do? Well, first things first, better go mess around Minato's room!

* * *

A run up the stairs later, the female twin was already in front of her brothers room. As Minato explained to her the importance of manners, she knocked before entering.

"Hey, anybody home? Knock, knock!"

No answer, so she opened the door.

"Hmm, if you don't want me to come in, say something."

Silence.

"Perfect! Well then, thanks for having me!" she cheerfully entered the room.

Still, before letting herself get all comfortable, she made sure to close the door behind her and take a good look around the room. Minato was a sneaky and silent bastard, he could creep up on her at any time. Nope, no Minato. The room was 100% Minato-free. Well then, fun time begin!

Her first stop was at his closet. What was in it? Well, a good number of Gekkoukan High School uniforms and his usual casual and formal attire. Boooooring!

Under his bed were several boxes, all filled with different stuff: books, games and game consoles, etc.

Under his mattress... nothing!

_'Goddammit, where the hell do you keep your porn?! I know you have to have a collection somewhere!'_

But alas, she had no luck. Minato was smart enough to stash his treasures somewhere impossible for others to find. Good thinking!

* * *

After her little exploration, she didn't really want to do much more. The others came home, they talked and all, but she was getting positively bored. Her brother hadn't come home yet either, which was unusual. She would've guessed he'd be sleeping in his bed by now.

_'Where are you, Minato-nii? I wanna play!'_

_'I wanna go have fun.'_

_'What?!'_

_'I said I wanna go have fun, dammit! Lemme out, it's my turn!'_

_'This isn't a good time! Minato-nii will be home soon and I...'_

_'I don't give a damn about him! I'm going, and you can't stop me!'_

Hamuko started feeling a little dizzy all of a sudden, so she quickly sat down on her bed. The entire room was spinning for her, and she felt pretty sick. In the end, she lied down and lost consciousness.

A few seconds later, still a little dizzy, she jumped up and ran out the room.

"Fuck yeah! Time to split!" she ran past her teammates and out the door, into the night.

* * *

**-Iwatodai Station, Back Alley-**

"Damn, this place looks like shit." Hamuko observed as she made her way through the dark alleyway.

What was she doing here? Who knows?

"Hey, check out that chick..." she heard one of the punks ahead of her say. "Who the fuck is she?"

"Dunno, never saw her before."

"Hey, kid! I think your in the wrong place." they tried to intimidate her.

"Hey, up close, she ain't lookin' half bad! Y'know, this place isn't for the likes of you, but with a little... 'convincing', we could make an exception." he grinned as he lifted her chin. "So, whaddya say? Wanna do something fun together?"

"Fuck you." Hamuko retorted, as she quickly bit the guys finger.

"Aagh! Fuck!" he pulled his hand away. "Frickin' bitch! You're gonna pay for that!"

Enraged, the guy tried to hit her directly in the face. Needless to say, he didn't know who he was messing with. Easily dodging the punch, Hamuko caught his hand and gave it a good twist, before pinning it to his back, grabbing his head and smashing it with no restraint into the brick wall. He then let his unconscious body fall to the ground.

"Take this garbage and leave, or I'll do worse to your faces, ya bastards."

And so they ran away...

* * *

After the little fallout between her and the punks, Hamuko was no longer bothered by anyone else. She went into the nearby bar and got a few good drinks, before heading out into the not-so-threatening Paulownia Mall.

There, it was quite nice. The lighting gave the place a nice atmosphere and the not-so-many people was more her style.

Still, she wanted to party a little, so she hit the local club, Escapade.

This time, the bouncer-boy was different. Instead of the fatso who looked like a gorilla on steroids, there was a young man, little older than him, at the entrance. Pretty tall, unkempt brown hair and steel-colored eyes. He was dressed more formally, to show that he wasn't just some punk wandering that way, as he really did seem like the type to do that. He was... quite intimidating. But that didn't phase Hamuko at all.

"Lemme in." she demanded, as she reached the entrance.

He took a quick look at her and immediately responded.

"Get lost. This is no place for kids."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Making sure those like you stay out."

"Then you're not doing a very good job, cause I'm getting in."

"Trust me, kid. You don't wanna do this."

"You just took the words outta my mouth."

"Go away." he started sounding annoyed.

"Make me." she took on a more aggressive stance.

The others backed off, some worried about what was about to happen, others cheering for them to fight. Damn, this was gonna go horribly wrong, right? Luckily, before anything happened, a certain blue-haired boy jumped in to save the day in the form of a headlock.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here, Hamuko? Are you crazy?" he scolded her sister.

"Hey, hey, lemme go this instant!" she started elbowing his side with all her might, trying to also get a kick in.

"Huh, you're... Oh, I see. Sorry." he apologized to the bouncer-boy. "She gets a little crazy sometimes. Don't worry, I'll keep her under control, she won't bother you again. Just don't call the police on us, okay. Thanks, later, bye!" he quickly took off towards safety, dragging his sister with him.

"Hey, stop! Lemme go! Jerk! Bastard! Idiooooot!"

* * *

After one hell of a train ride, the twins finally got back to the dorms. Right before the Dark Hour too. Lucky. Minato dragged his sister all the way to his room, threw her on the bed and locked the door.

"Geez, why do you always cause trouble when you appear?"

"Everything was fine! I was gonna swat that guy and then go have some fun!"

"What you did was a crime! I mean, getting a little tough on people and all is still acceptable at least, but now you're getting out of control. If I hadn't come along, you'd be in jail by now!"

"Ok, ok, geez. No need to get so worked up. I'm going to bed."

"Hey, we're not done here!"

"Yeah, we are. I ain't got time for lectures."

She started towards the door, but Minato grabbed her by the wrists and pinned her down on the bed.

"You're not going anywhere."

"Oh, finally grew some balls, did you? And what're you gonna do now, huh? You're gonna finally give in and defile your sister? You're stronger than me, so you could do it, y'know. I'll let you do whatever you want to her. Feel free to play with her body, to use her as you wish. It's what you really want, right? To take her innocence, to make her body yours. She wants it too, y'know? Take it, c'mon. Sex feels great, doesn't it? At least I'll be able to feel a little pleasure. At least tonight won't be a complete waste. Admit it , you wanna do me right now."

"What happened to you, Hako?" he let his grip loosen. "You weren't like this before. What's changed?" he seemed really sad.

"You know very well, don't you?" her expression darkened. She then kicked Minato off of her and onto the floor. "Things need to change, you can't keep running away. You have to stop, and face yourself. This stupid game has gone on for 10 years already. And I'm sick of it!" she clenched her teeth. "She's hurting, y'know! We all are! We want it to stop! But you're no good! You're not doing anything to help, neither us, nor yourself!" tears filled her eyes. "I understand now." she muttered, regaining her composure. "You won't do anything for us. So it's up to me then. I'll save us. I'll save all of us."

Taking the keys from Minato, she opened the door.

" 'Night." she slammed the door behind her, leaving Minato alone in his room.

Feeling weak, the male twin leaned onto the nearby wall and slowly slumped down to the floor. He then reached into his pocket and took out his ring. That ring with the crimson red gemstone.

"Father..."


	10. Dark Past, Brighter Future

**-Friday, April 24, 2009-**

It was a beautiful morning today. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping happily in the trees and the cool spring breeze blew though the air, giving the skirts of passing cheerful schoolgirls a slight lift. It's so good that nature is a pervert!

Inside of a certain blue-haired boy's room though, there was only doom and gloom. Minato was still leaning against the wall, not having moved an inch since last night. He had things to think about. He... he just didn't know what to do anymore. There had to be a way to set things straight, but he was drawing a blank.

After pondering all night and a good part of the morning, he eventually left for school. He wanted to meet up with Hamuko and talk about what happened, how much she remembered, but she had already left by then. That wasn't a good sign at all. This is really bad...

* * *

**-Gekkoukan High School-**

Minato was out of luck at school too. He arrived just seconds before the teacher, so he didn't get a chance to talk to his sister, and as soon as classes were over, she was quick to leave. Ekoda specially going out of his way to stalk him wasn't helping either. Seriously, what the hell is this guys problem?!

As he had no Kendo practice that day, Minato decided to go relax a little on the roof. He needed to sort out his thoughts, everything was just a huge mess.

"Hey, whats up, Minato?" Ayame called out to him as soon as he closed his eyes. "I thought you'd be up here, you seemed to be the roof-sleeper kinda guy."

"Yeah, I like places like this. They're quiet." he mumbled. Thinking a little, he then surprised his 'girlfriend' with an unexpected question. "You free tomorrow? Wanna go out and do something?"

"Huh? W-wait, what? What's with you askin' me out all of a sudden? I thought you didn't really like the idea!" she seemed a little flustered.

"Well, I wasn't really against it, just surprised due to it being all sudden. I'm not really the dating type, but, might as well try, right? So, you wanna go?"

"Y-yeah, sure, why not? Where do ya wanna go?"

"Anywhere's fine. Maybe somewhere with good food? Or we can hit the arcade and just get a burger later?"

"Arcade and burger? Nice combo, we'll do that!"

Minato chuckled.

"Huh, what's so funny?"

"I just thought it was interesting how you seemed all flustered a second ago when I asked you out suddenly, but now you're back to your weirdly aggressive energetic self."

"W-what? What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing. I kinda like that about you." he patted her head. "Well, I gotta go, need to take care of things. Later."

"H-hey, wait a sec!" she called after him, but he was already gone. "Damn, what was that all about?"

* * *

**-Iwatodai Dormitory-**

Finally arriving back to the dorms, Minato retreated once again to his room. He still needed a few moments to think over what was going on around him. Hako's words were tough and hit him hard, but he had to admit she was right. He just didn't know what to do. He just couldn't move on. He was too weak. And this case, it was his last connection to his parents. He couldn't abandon it now! He's trained his body and mind for ten long years just to solve this riddle! He had to do it, he just had to! And so he would! But first, he needs to make up with his sister. They were in this together after all!

Not wasting any more time, he literally launched out of his room and towards his sisters room, almost knocking the door out of it's hinges as he blasted in.

"Hamuko!"

"H-huh? W-what happened, Onii-chan? Are you... okay?" she looked on concerned as his brother seemed to have gotten a little too excited about something.

"Hamuko, about what happened last night..." he started.

"Last night?" she tilted her head questioningly. "Ah, yeah! Of course! I'm so sorry, Onii-chan! Hako went crazy all of a sudden and kinda sorta took over a little." she stuck her tongue out playfully. "All I remember is feeling sick and fainting, then waking up in my room."

"Oh... I see."

"Did, uh... something happen?" she seemed worried.

"...no, nothing. Everything's great." he patted her head and smiled a sour smile. "Everything's perfect." he then moved to leave, but turned around once again. "Hamuko?"

"Yeah?"

"We'll do it together. You and me, we'll solve this case. And I'll protect you no matter what, so don't worry. I promise."

"...yeah." she smiled sadly. "Yeah, we'll do it!"

* * *

Minato kept on punching his wall, hit after hit, his fist already slightly bloody. He clenched his teeth as he punched it once again, cracking it quite a bit. He then once again leaned on the wall like yesterday night and collapsed to the floor, tears filling his eyes.

It was all a lie. She remembered what happened. She knew very well that all he said was a bluff. He... he was weak. His weakness kept growing. His dark side, that which he is ashamed of and he regrets, that which he rejects. It's overpowering him. He just can't change. And now he just lost the only person whom he could call family. He was how he feared he would be... alone.

As the dark thoughts dwelled in his mind, he started feeling weak, and eventually gave into sleep...

* * *

**-Unknown Location-**

**-Unknown Time-**

Darkness. Darkness everywhere. That was all Minato could see. Nothing. It was... eerie. The place was pure despair. No sounds, no light, no nothing. Just him and the darkness. Forever...

In a desperate attempt to escape, Minato tried closing his eyes, waving his arms and legs, but it was all futile. The darkness remained, the loneliness stayed on.

"help..." he muttered. "Help me. Help me! SOMEONE HELP ME!" he cried out into the nothingness.

No response.

* * *

After what seemed to be an eternity, Minato's plea seemed to have been heard. All of a sudden, a pale green light sparkled in front of him and slowly enveloped the entire area. As he was finally able to see something, Minato was shocked to see that he was, in fact, on the Moonlight Bridge.

"Wha-..." he seemed frightened. "No, NO! Not here!" he fell to the ground terrified. "Please, not here..."

_"Yes, here. Quite a memorable place, isn't it? So beautiful. The fresh night air, the wonderful scenery, the satisfying smell of death and despair..."_

"W-who? Who's there?"

_"This is were it happened, right? Now ten years ago, was it? You and your family, just chillin' and taking a night ride through this beautiful place, when all of a sudden BOOM! Destruction and death! They're both dead!"_

"Wha-? No, stop it!" he angrily threatened the disembodied voice.

_"Oh, but wait, no, no, no! That's not how it really happened! Was it? What about the creatures?"_

" How do you..."

_"Oh, I know! I know it all too much! That creature, that horrible monster! The thing you've kept secret from everyone, even your own sister! The sword! And the Guns! The chains! Oh, the rattling of the chains! The sound Death itself makes, huh? Who do you think it was?!"_

"..."

_"Oh, do you remember the last Full Moon? When you awakened your power? Wasn't there something very interesting that happened? Destroy? Destroy everything? Hehehe."_

"No, it can't be. You're... who are you?!"

_"Heh. Wouldn't you like to know?"_

As the voice pronounced these words, Minato felt dizzy all of a sudden. Unable to stand, he fell down, his vision fading. Just before he lost consciousness, he took a look around and saw a figure approaching him. He couldn't get a glimpse of his face, but he did note two things: the Gekkoukan High School uniform, and the MP3 player hanging on his neck. Was he...?

* * *

**-Saturday, April 25, 2009-**

**-Iwatodai Dormitory-**

A beautiful morning once again. A gloomy and depressing room, Minato's room. A badly beaten hand. A freshly waken Minato. What a start...

* * *

After getting dressed and getting his hand fixed up, Minato met up with his sister, who seemed to be in good spirits now. Great, at least she's happy. That's most important.

"Hey, good morning! What's up?

"Oh, morning, Onii-chan! Didja sleep well?

"Well, could've been much better, but I'll live."

"Oh, well, glad you're okay! Let's have a fun day today!"she cheered throwing her arms into the air. "Got anything planned?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I got a date with Ayame."

And thus huge ruckus was born as Hamuko went:

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

That is, until Minato gave her a karate chop on the head.

"Ow!"

That wasn't the only reaction going on in the dorm. Yukari looked up worried from her breakfast, Junpei spit out his milk, Akihiko just looked at him, as if thinking 'brave man', and Mitsuru seemed a little confused as to why he would do such a thing.

"What?" Minato asked the group questioningly.

"Nothin'..." Junpei answered in name of everyone and they all returned to their own stuff. Weird. Ah well.

* * *

**-After School-**

That nightmare... what was it exactly? That voice... that figure... was it someone he knew? And the things he said... he knew everything, and more! The things only Minato knew. Those... monsters... were they...?

"Heeya, Minato! Hope I ain't late or anything!" Ayame jumped out the nearby window almost landing on him.

"Woah, hey! You really need to stop doing that! One day, I won't be able to dodge! Besides, I saw you panties again. You should really try to go with gray panties next time, I think they'd suit you."

"Hmm, well, if ya say so."she shrugged. "I don't have any of those color though. Hmm, we have time today, how bout we go buy one? Oh, and a bra to match! Hey, what's with that look?!"

"It's just that I was expecting you to strangle me for seeing your panties again."

"Nah, we're goin' out now, so you have permission."

"Oh, cool, I shall use that special permit later on, be sure. Also, I found it quite cute that even you get into girl mode when talking about certain stuff."

"Hey, I may be stronger than most guys in the city, but I'm still a girl after all!" she grinned. "Or, do you want me to prove it to you today?"

"I'll believe you for now, but I'll admit you've got me interested."

"Well then, let's go! We're gonna have a great time, you'll see!"

"Yeah."

And so the misadventure known as Minato's first true date began...

And is that Hamuko and Junpei hidden behind that tree over there...?!

* * *

_Aaaaaaaaaaaaand, I did it! I caught up! As you most likely could tell, the last 5 chapters or so are completely the same as they were in Forever Bonds. Mostly, this is because I was honestly pleased with what I had written and didn't think I needed to change anything. Either way, now I finally caught up, so the next chapter will be new stuff! Get ready for the Date for 4! It's gonna be made up of two parts, hopefully I'll be able to do it soon. Also, the last few chapters, I'm sure you could tell, were a lot shorter than the ones at the beginning, but that will change soon enough. Longer chapters and interesting things gonna happen! Action and all! But first a little romance-comedy thingy involving dates! Yay! Well, see you guys soon, and I hope you enjoy and will enjoy even more the new Persona: Soulbond !_


	11. Date for 4

"Um... Are we really doing this?" Minato asked skeptically. Despite what she said before, it just seemed too out of character for her to actually go through with it. As of yet, he was expecting to suddenly be ambushed by a group of thugs led by her and thrown somewhere far away into the sea.

"Geez, what's with the complainin'? I already told you, we're gonna do it, so don't get all embarrassed out of the blue! Besides, it was your idea, wasn't it?!"Ayame scolded him.

"Wha-? No! I just said that..."

"No! I know that it was your intention! You're the perverted type, so you'd have said it anyway in the end! Don't deny it!

_'Well... I admit she's partially right, but still!'_

"Okay then, now that we've settled that you had impure thoughts, let's just go in already! We've been standing in front of this damn place for over an hour now! People are staring already!"

_'That's mostly because we've been shouting at each other all this time.'_

And so, the couple entered the store that they really shouldn't have gone into for another 2 years or so...

* * *

**-Secrète érotique-**

_'I really don't think a store like this is the place a couple should go to for a first date. It may be just me though...'_

Indeed. All cutesy coupley stuff aside, a lingerie store should wait at least till the 3rd date. But that's just me.

Personal opinions aside, what the hell was going on with this place?! It was so full of folks, you couldn't make it past the first potted plant thingy kept in the store for whatever reason!

"Damn, it's like half the city's packed in here." Minato complained.

"I didn't even know there were this many people in the city."

"Um, maybe we should go for now? Or we'll be spending the next few hours here."

"Damn, I was getting all excited too." Ayame pouted.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Let's go, I'm starvin'!"

And so they left the shop that should really have a sign somewhere saying +18 Only...

* * *

**-Game Panic-**

"So... uh... why did we come here? I thought you were hungry."

"I am, but I ain't gonna pass by the arcade without having a go at a few games! I wanna know what I can beat you at!"

Kind of a weird date this was turning out to be. I mean, the arcade bit is cool and all, but the interaction between the two is less like a young couple and more like a 10 year old energetic kid and her always-tired father. Then again, Minato was, in many ways, like an old man.

* * *

"BAM! And that makes it 7 straight victories for me!" Ayame gloated as a shocked Minato could only stare at his screen, trying to comprehend what the words: 'You're dead' mean.

"Impossible!" he stated outright. "I've never lost at this game before! What the hell is going on?"

_'Seriously, what the hell?! Being "Arcade Grand Master" was one of my greatest prides! I can't just lose like this!'_

"One more game! This time, I'll crush you!"

"Oh, bold words from you, Oh Lost One! Then, how about a bet? Loser pays for lunch, dinner and everything else that we may or may not buy today!"

"You're on!" Minato replied in the heat of the moment, most likely not realizing that his wallet wasn't exactly as filled as it was before.

You need to watch your money, man! You're gonna lose for sure!

* * *

And so he did. It was a close match this time, but our beloved blue-haired twin stood no chance against Ayame's diabolical army of Shadows and Soul Demons. And she even had a Dragon! How in the world does one get a Dragon so quickly?!

"So, don't forget the deal. Hope you have enough money on you, cause for starters, I'm gonna be wanting that cute lil' Jack Frost doll from the crane game."

_'...fuck my life...'_

* * *

**-Power Records-**

After a good hour or so of playing everybody's favorite crane game, Minato finally managed to get that damn Jack Frost doll, which was now being happily hugged by Ayame.

"Haha, I've always wanted one of these guys!" she seemed oddly happy.

"Didn't think you'd be that big of a Jack Frost fan."

"You kiddin'? Everybody loves Jack Frost! He's like the best thing ever!"

Indeed he is! My favorite part of the series was when he teamed up with Pyro Jack to defeat his evil twin, Black Frost!

"So, what're we doing here right now? Weren't you supposed to be starving?"

"Well, I just wanted to see if they have anything new. We'll go in a sec."

_'Hmm, guess that should be fine. Let's see what they got.'_

"Oh, hey, the new 'Persona' album is out!" Minato sounded quite excited.

"WHAAAA-?!" a screech could be heard from somewhere nearby, catching everyone's attention. Still, the culprit was nowhere to be found. Weird.

"What the hell was that?" Ayame asked.

"Beats me. Kinda sounded like a hippo trying to sing opera." Minato shrugged. "Either way, I'm buying this. Hamuko should be pleased too."

"Oh, Persona, huh? They're pretty good. What's the title?"

"Soul Phrase. Hmm, cool."

"Sounds interesting. I wonder if it'll be as good as 'Kimi no Kioku'? Now that was a hit!"

* * *

**-Wild-Duck Burger-**

Well, it seems like in the end, they actually managed to get some food. If the soggy fries and weirdly colored burgers could be called food. They were delicious and all, but... why is the burger green?!

"I find it hard to believe that this is actual meat..." Minato stated as he took another bite. "It's probably soya or something like that, painted green."

"Yeah, it's kinda sickening."

"Then why did you already eat five of them?"

"I'm hungry! This could be pickled rat feet for all I care!"

_'That's one way to put it...'_

"Either way, I was still wondering..." Ayame started. "Why did you ask me out? It's not your style, I can tell just from looking at you, don't deny it. You're more the 'go along with things' guy, than an 'action starting' guy. So what gives?" she glared at him, but then settled down a little. "Hey, no need to get scared or anythin', okay? I ain't gonna get mad, regardless of the reason. I'm havin' a great time, so just spit it out!"

"Well..." he struggled a little with his words. "...it's just that things have gotten a little... troubling suddenly. I... just wanted to get out and relax a little, do something different than usual, hoping I'd forget about everything for a short time..." he seemed sad.

"Woah, woah!" she seemed surprised by his confession. "Sorry, man! Didn't know you were having a hard time, didn't mean to remind you! Okay, tell you what, we're gonna have a helluva lot'o fun today! You won't be able to even breath from all the fun!" Ayame announced to pretty much everyone in the building, as she was already shouting at this point. "C'mon, let's go!" she took him by the hand and stampeded out the door.

"H-hey, wait! My burger!"

* * *

**-Paulownia Mall-**

After literally running a little too much all the way from the station to the mall, the duo was seriously out of breath. Still, that didn't seem to slow down Ayame at all.

"Okay then! First stop, Mandragora! Let's hear how you sing, Minato!"

"Wha-?! No! No way! Not a chance in hell! If there's anything I don't do, it's sing!"

"Aw, c'mon, it'll be fine. I ain't much of a singer either. It can't be that bad."

"Trust me, you have no idea..."

* * *

**-Mandragora-**

"Burn my dread

This time I'll grapple down that god of fear and throw him into hell's fire

Burn my dread

I'll shrug the pain and run till I see the sunlight again

Oh, I will run burning all regret and dread

And I will face the sun with pride of the living!"

Ayame finished her performance with an elegant bow, honestly unfitting her personality. Oh, and, wow.

"...wow."

"Hehe, did I impress you?" she smiled.

"You... sound just like Yumi from 'Persona'."Minato clapped to show how genuinely impressed he was. "Oh, and how the hell does this count as 'ain't much of a singer' ?!"

"Well, if I told you I was awesome, you would've been to embarrassed to even come here."

"And now I'm gonna go..." he started, but Ayame obviously pulled a few pro wrestling moves on him and immobilized him.

"You ain't leavin' till I hear you sing at least once!"

* * *

"Now Write me an endless song  
As I'll feel so alive  
Watariyuku Yami no saki e..."

Minato finally finished his self-torture in the form of singing. Truly humiliating... Ayame couldn't even contain her laughter.

"Man, you suck!"

"Thanks... I know."

"Well, that was definitely worth it! Okay, that's enough! Any more and I'll die of laughter!"

"I hate my life..."

"By the way, hope you don't mind, but I recorded this and am gonna make it my new ringtone."

* * *

**-Paulownia Mall-**

"Well, that was great fun, what's next? Oh, I got kinda thirsty, how about getting some drinks at Chagall? We can talk to Sara about that double date thing too."

"Yeah..." Minato sighed.

_'That was the worst thing ever! I'll never sing again, for as long as I live! And I'll stay clear of any places that have to do with si...? Huh? Wait, is that?'_

As the couple walked past the alleyway next to Mandragora, a very familiar Velvet Door caught our hero's attention.

"Why is that...? Hey, you go on ahead, I'm gonna go and wash my face and all that. I need a little time to recover from the shock."

"Wow, that really did get to you, huh? Now I kinda feel bad. Well, don't take too long!" she ran off.

And so, Minato made his way to the door, which opened before him in that magical and slightly creepy way he was already getting used to.

* * *

**-Velvet Room-**

"Ah, there you are. Welcome to the Velvet Room." Igor politely greeted him as usual. "Well... I suppose it's time for me to explain what I really do here. It is my job to create new Personas. But in order to do so, I must fuse your Persona cards together. In other words, I shall merge them into a single Persona."

"Wait, Persona cards? What are those?"

"Ah, yes, it seems you still haven't realized. On occasions, when you manage to further your Social Links, or after you have successfully defeated a powerful enemy, cards will appear before you. These cards are manifestations of the different 'yous' that exist in the 'Sea of your Soul'. The number of Personas you have buried within you is approximately 170... We've never seen a visitor with this many possibilities before..."

"170 Personas... How many do I have now? Did I get any new ones yet?"

"Oh, yes. To answer your question, let me give you this." Theodore presented a device of some sort to Minato. It was his gauntlet.

"Hey, when did you...?"

"It's a very impressive piece of technology for sure, but it was a little outdated. I made some modifications to it. Now, you'll be able to follow your Social Links and browse through you Persona collection with it." Theo explained.

"Oh, cool." Minato quickly played around with it. Yep, he had a few new Personas in him now. Strange that he didn't notice anything.

"As you accumulate cards, please bring them to me. Now then. I'm afraid my time grows scarce once again. But come back again, when you start your next venture into the tower. Until we meet again, farewell."

* * *

As Minato left the Velvet Room, Igor smiled to himself. Elizabeth noticed this and correctly deduced that her master was excited about their new guest.

"He seems to be truly remarkable, doesn't he?"

"Indeed." Igor waved his hand in the air, manifesting five glowing cards. All of them seemed to be bursting with energy. "We've had four, truly exceptional guests up to this point. Their power and determination was invigorating, and the way they went against the predetermined fate of their kind was inspiring." As the energy surrounding the cards dissipated, the waist-up image of figures became visible on them.

The first card had a tall young man on it, clad in a large black coat, which was opened to reveal a black, armored shirt underneath. His hair and eyes were silver.

The second card also had the figure of a man on it, but he was shorter than the other. He had on an armored shirt, similar to the first one's. His hair was black and in a long ponytail, and he was wearing a weird, velvet blue, butterfly-shaped visor.

The third card depicted a young man similar to Minato, except his hair was much shorter and both of his eyes were crimson red, similar to Hamuko's.

The fourth card revealed a large, aggressive-looking young man in the uniform of Gekkoukan High. The man's hair was completely white and reached beyond his ears, and his eyes were crimson red.

And finally, the last card. On it, was none other than Minato.

"But still, despite their best efforts, neither of them were able to overcome their ultimate destiny." Margaret interrupted.

"It seems like this is the curse of the Wild Card. But is it possible that this boy could do what the others could not? He seems a little... weak, compared to them." Theo expressed his concern.

"That may be so at the moment, but I feel that the boy shall do great things. His potential is almost unlimited. Besides..." Igor smiled again, as a sixth card appeared, hiding the silhouette of a girl. "This time, there is more than one..."

As he said these words, another guest entered the Velvet Room.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room. My name is Igor. ...I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

* * *

**-Chagall Cafe-**

"Now Write me an endless song  
As I'll feel so alive  
Watariyuku Yami no saki e..."

Ayame kept on singing, constantly reminding Minato of his wonderful voice.

"Will you cut it out already? I want to forget that ever happened."

" Sorry, it's just too funny. Plus, the song is kinda stuck inside my head now. Shuhei's pretty good at singing. huh?"

"Uh... yeah."

"Meh, I really don't think this is what we should be talking about while on a date, but I'm just outta ideas. I don't really hang around with people. And the ones that I do spend time with are all a buncha weirdos."

"Well, that makes two of us then." Minato sighed.

"Honestly, just about everyone in this city is totally out of there. They all have some kind of, I dunno, obsession or something with something unusual. Did you notice that yet?"

"Well, kinda. But doesn't everybody have an obsession of some sorts?"

"Well, yeah, but it's not like that. I mean, they're not obsessive in the normal way, they're just crazy. Some people are obsessed with foods, others with things a lot more... illegal. It's kinda freaky."

"Hmm, well, I did hear that the crime rate has been steadily rising over the years. That's one of the reason's I ca..." Minato started, but quickly caught himself before spilling out classified info.

"..." Ayame looked at him questioningly.

"It's nothing. Hey, why don't you tell me about your family? You got any brothers or sisters?"

"Yeah, sure do. But they're even weirder than everybody else. My little sis is so shy, she was a shut-in up till now a few months ago. My brother is an unbearable pervert who hits on anything female that breathes. And my dad is the same as my brother, just seventy times worse."

"What about your mom?" he asked, realizing too late that when someone mentions every family member save one, they most likely already said bye-bye. God damnit, Minato!

"Ah yeah, she's bben back at her folks place for a good while now. My guess is that she's had enough of my insufferable dad. Damn idiot misses her though." she chuckled.

Okay, you're still safe, Minato! Watch out for other landmines!

"I see you have quite the... "interesting" family."

"Well, when it comes to family, you gotta take what you get, huh? But damn, why can't just one of them be normal, like you? Maybe if I kick their asses, they'll settle down?"

"Uh, I don't really think..."

"Hell yeah, that's what I'll do! And you're gonna help me!" she started shouting.

"Wait, wha-?!"

"Together, we'll beat the shit out of'em!" Ayame publicly announced to everyone in the room.

" Ah, you're getting all fired up about something again, huh, Ayame?" Sara noted as she brought their orders.

" Hey, great timing! You're on your break after this, right? C'mon, sit down and let's chat a bit! Minato wants to get to know you better!"

"Oh, does he now?" Sara smiled... suspiciously? "I'll be with you guys in a moment. Let me just finish up something in the kitchen."

_'...what is going on?'_

* * *

"And then I smacked'em in the face and creamed him with his own baseball bat!" Ayame finished her story of her latest fight.

"Oh, wow! You're so cool!" Sara continuously praised her, eyes sparkling. "You're like a superhero or something! Like Pink Argus!"

"Uh, y-yeah... Though, I'm just getting constantly attacked by guys with nothing better to do with their lives, instead of evil monster lords wanting to rule the universe."

"Do you really get into that many fights?" Minato inquired.

"Well... kinda yeah. Those delinquent gangs always wanna get back at the ones who humiliated'em before, so I get a lot of shit."

" Ah, I see... Wait, humiliate gangs?"

" Ayame beat some guys from White Demon's Bane now about a year ago. Ever since then she's been constantly bugged by all kinds of different assholes. They think if they beat her, they'll become famous or something. Fuckin' pack of losers, if you ask me." Sara explained.

_'The White Demon's Bane, huh? Didn't know those guys would still be around. Dad, you were crazy.'_

"Well, seems like you got it tough. If you need a hand, I could lend you a helping punch and kick once in a while." Minato offered.

"Oh, will you be a Hero Couple?!" Sara nearly exploded from excitement.

"Uh..."

* * *

**-Secrète érotique-**

After politely refusing Sara's offer to make them matching superhero outfits, the unlikely couple decided to give the not-for-kids store another go. As it was already starting to get a little late, they were in luck and actually managed to get in this time around.

"Hmm... Gray, gray, gray... Where are you, gray?" Ayame mumbled as she scouted the area.

In the meanwhile, Minato was awkwardly standing around in one place, not really sure whether or not actually looking here or there was legal or not. There were definitely some... "interesting" articles of clothing on display. Probably would be Hamuko's heaven.

"Hey, I found a few stuff! Come take a look." Ayame called from the other end of the store.

"Yeah, just a sec."

Minato was getting a little excited, so to say. Buying clothes meant trying them on after all, so the chances of him getting to see his new girlfriend in the chosen lingerie was about 99.3%. Good odds! Minato was quite pleased.

"Here, what do you think of these?" Ayame asked, holding up the pair of seductive undergarments.

"Uh... Y-yeah, that's pretty, uh, nice? But aren't you gonna, y'know, try'em on?"

"Yeah, you wish." she smiled teasingly. "These are my size, so I'm gonna hope they'll fit. Besides, your buying, so no it's no loss for me either way."

_'Damn that 0.7%!'_

* * *

"Well, this was a very unusual date, but it was fun." Ayame smiled as she held up her Jack Frost doll into the night sky.

"Yeeeah, sorry about that, I don't really go out much. But I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, I had a good time too. My head's all cleared up now as well."

"Great to hear that! Make sure you don't overexert yourself, living in this town can get a little hard. Then again, I'll think you'll do okay. And if you're ever in trouble, just call me and I'll knock a few heads around!" she stroke some kind of heroic pose.

"Yeah, I will. Thanks."

_'So... what now? Wave, pat pat, see you tomorrow? Handshake, hug, awkward silence? Um... fist bump?'_

"Ah, screw it! Just come here!" Ayame exclaimed as she grabbed Minato by the collar and pulled him in, ramming her head into his face with full force.

_'Okay... Headbutt works as well.'_

"Damn, are you okay?" the aggressive girl asked worriedly, as her victim gently rubbed his aching face. "That was not what I wanted to do, I swear!"

"I-it's okay. There's no visible damage, I'm not bleeding. At least not on the outside."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry to worry you."

"Okay, then this time!" she announced, this time grabbing the poor Minato by his cheeks and once again ramming into him, though this time with her face. She clumsily locked lips with him, as Minato, surprised by the act, was initially waving around, gasping for air. Ayame was putting a lot of force behind her "kiss", forcing Minato's back and head to arch back. Eventually, after about 7 seconds, she pulled back, setting him free.

"How... was it?" she asked fidgeting nervously.

"Um..." Minato looked at her a little dazed due to the oxygen deprivation, as a little blood dripped from his mouth. "Full of passion."

"Whew, thank Aether! That was just so embarrassing and stressful!" she sighed. "Alright, see you later!"

And with that, she ran off.

"Yeah, later..." Minato waved, still a little dizzy, while wiping the blood from his mouth.

_'I think I need to find a good dentist...'_

* * *

_And that's part one! It turned out okay... I think. Yes... no? Sorry? Your're welcome? Why? I like oranges. Me too! But I prefer tea to coffee. Then again, blue is a nice color. But snakes and wolves rock! So do bagels. Also, burpees are hell. But I like my room. Wait, what am I writing right now? Is that you, John? Why are you here? And how do I know you? I don't know any Jane's! But... But my piglet! I love eggs!_

_Okay, time to sleep. I'm very tired, it's exam period. I'll put up the other two chapters of this thing later. Maybe? I dunno. Dream waffles._


	12. Question before next chapter

The next real chapter should come out in about two days or so, if things go well, just a quick question for all who follow the story or happen to see this: would you rather I keep the violence, gore and sexual themes/scenes to a minimum and make only a few mentions to certain events, or would you rather I describe it nice and detailed (as in explicit sexual scenes, detailed description of wounds, etc.)? I'm probably gonna end up doing the latter (which I guess would make the rating go from T to M, maybe even pushing that M to the brink) , but I'm interested in knowing your opinion as well.

Also, as a side question, what would your favorite pairing be Persona 3-wise? The relationships between the characters will have an important part in the story. I'm still not entirely sure who'll be coupled up with who, so a few opinions would be appreciated and rewarded in the form of an imaginary talking triceratops-rider wolf-man.

Welp, that's all, yolks! Happy Eggsmas! Even if it's late!


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